The Susan G. Komen foundation canceled its signature 3-Day walk in Washington and six other cities next year, slashing the number of the fundraising events by half, as participation continues to drop more than a year after a funding controversy involving Planned Parenthood. Komen called its decision to pull out of the event one that “was not made lightly, as this bold and empowering event has touched the lives of thousands of participants.”…. Spokeswoman Andrea Rader cited economic uncertainty and competition from other charities as factors in the decision — the same reasons Komen has cited for the drop in fundraising since founder Nancy Brinker sparked national headlines in February 2012 when she unsuccessfully attempted to deny funds to Planned Parenthood.
I understand the battle against breast cancer is a good and noble cause and eminently worthy of support. My belief in the worthiness of that cause is exactly why I’ve written at such length about why the Susan G. Komen Foundation needs to be shrunk to a size which will allow it to be drowned in a bath tub (apologies to Grover Norquist). After Komen’s hamhanded caving to Right-wing pressure and attempting to defund Planned Parenthood in early 2012, I (and many others) advocated long and hard for a boycott of Komen. My argument was that the fight against breast cancer was far too important to be politicized. Komen CEO Nancy Brinker, a prominent figure in Republican circles, decided that ideology was more important the the foundation’s mission. To say that the attempt to defund Planned Parenthood backfired would be something of an understatement. It also exposed Komen as the inefficient and financially irresponsible organization it is.
The problem with Komen goes far beyond Brinker’s political tone-deafness and ham-handed effort to put ideology over the fight against breast cancer. Komen is a bloated and inefficient organization that devotes far too much money (approximately 1/3) to overhead. Senior executives pull down six-figure salaries and enjoy perks (four-star hotels, first-class air travel) generally not found in nonprofits that see the value in being good stewards of donated money.
The news that Komen is cancelling several of its three-day walks in 2014 brought a smile to my face. It’s not that I enjoy watching an organization fail; it’s that there are so many other organizations who do good work in the fight against breast cancer…and far more efficiently. Komen has become bloated, profligate, and increasingly irrelevant.
In the wake of the scandal Brinker created, she said that she’d step down as CEO once a replacement was found. Today, Brinker is STILL CEO- and most of Komen’s board is still in place. How are we to believe that things are different when the original suspects are still in place? We can’t, of course, and Brinker’s lack of integrity only demonstrates that Komen is wholly undeserving of continued support.
There are many other nonprofits fighting breast cancer with far more integrity, honesty, and efficiency than Komen. Isn’t it time that our charitable dollars are directed towards organizations who don’t play politics with their donations? It’s time for Komen to fold its tent and allow other organizations with a strong sense of financial and moral stewardship to step to the front.
