The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (later known as Susan G. Komen for the Cure) has become the largest and most well known breast cancer organization in the United States: It was started by Susan G Komen’s sister (Nancy Goodman Brinker) in 1982.
We want to believe that tragedies like Susan’s story of breast cancer develop into massive organizations (ex. Susan G. Komen for the Cure) based on honest altruistic intentions to offer real hope to OTHERS suffering from this dreaded disease.
What do the facts reveal about Nancy Brinker’s financial gains as Founder and CEO and the success her organization has achieved winning the “war” against beast cancer?
.
“In early 2012, the Komen organization announced it was pulling its grants for breast-cancer screenings from Planned Parenthood, drawing an immediate backlash from Komen supporters and abortion rights advocates. Within days, Nancy Brinker, the group’s founder and CEO, reversed the decision to defund the organization. Then, in August, Brinker announced that she would be stepping down.”
REFERENCE: Komen Research and CEO Salary
“But 10 months later, Brinker still held her position and tax documents revealed that she received a 64 percent raise making her annual compensation $684,000 a year, according to the charity’s latest available tax filing. Komen says the raise came in November 2010, prior to the 2012 controversy.”
REFERENCE: Komen Research and CEO Salary
The real controversy shouldn’t focus on the time frame of the raise, but rather the compensation taken away from available funds going toward breast cancer research. To provide perspective,
“The American Red Cross had revenues of about $3.4 billion, while Komen’s was about $340 million in 2012. Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern made $500,000, according to the financial documents available for the charity” while Nancy Brinker made $684,000.
REFERENCE: Komen Research and CEO Salary
Charity Navigator’s last compensation figure for Nancy Brinker was $560,896 per year, which at the time put her below Komen president Elizabeth Thompson’s reported annual compensation of $606,461. In June 2013, Komen finally announced that Brinker would be stepping down as president and CEO of that organization and named Judith A. Salerno, M.D. as her successor. In June 2015, it was reported that Brinker resigned from her paid position to assume an unpaid role as a top volunteer with Komen. Dr. Salerno’s most recently reported compensation (in August 2017) was $479,858, while Nancy Brinker was still listed as a “founder” receiving a salary of $397,093.
REFERENCE: Komen Research and CEO Salary
Below is the distribution of charitable fund expenses for the Susan Komen Foundation (2008-2009.)
By 2011, the organization’s financial statements showed that research dollars were reduced to 15% and public education (awareness) dollars had increased to 43%. By 2011, breast cancer was as well known as Coca Cola. Attempts to “increase awareness” might stimulate more contributions, however, reductions in research were likely to slow down progress in discovering real cures. (REFERENCE: REUTERS: Insight: Komen charity under microscope for funding, science)
“In 1986, breast cancer was the underlying cause of death for 40,534 women in the United States. Breast cancer accounted for 32% of diagnosed cancers and 20% of cancer deaths among women (1).* Breast cancer incidence and mortality in the United States and worldwide have increased in cohorts of women born since 1900, for reasons not well understood (3,4)”
REFERENCE: Centers For Disease Control: Deaths from Breast Cancer among Women — United States, 1986
REFERENCE: American Cancer Society: Breast Cancer Facts and Figures 2015-2016
As of 1986 40,000+ women lost their lives to breast cancer. As of 2015 40,000+ women lost their lives to breast cancer.
I’ll leave you with the fact that approximately the same number of lives are lost to breast cancer today as 35 years ago. In addition, Nancy Brinker (who resigned her paid position to assume an UNPAID ROLE as a top volunteer with Komen in June 2015, continues to be listed as founder receiving a salary of $261,715 as of the 2016 fiscal year (03/2016.)
Is this how you want your charitable dollars used to discover a “cure” for breast cancer?
All About Healthy Choices 
Reblogged this on The Purple Almond and commented:
As October is Breast Cancer awareness month, it’s important, not only to know who your donating to, but also what they do with your donation. If you’re thinking of donating to the SUSAN G KOMAN foundation this month, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ THIS POST FIRST. Very informative!
I also recommend the documentary PINK RIBBONS INC, a very enlightening look into the world of cancer philanthropy and the connections to the marketing industry. You can find it at AMAZON:
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Thank you for sharing this important message, Tamara. So many people want to help; many organizations take advantage of these good hearted people through cunning marketing and outright lies!
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No. No, it is not. It is a money making scheme that plays on the heart of women in fear of this disease, or in sympathy for those who have it. I looked into the “walk for the cure” and was turned away, because I didn’t want to solicit the minimum pledge $ that is required. I don’t wear that pink ribbon.
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I choose to SUPPORT people by designing PLANS OF ACTION to whole health and quality living. I choose not to SUPPORT organizations that create plans of action designed to improve their Founders and CEO’s material lives.
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SO many charities are in the same league as this one! It is not even right to call them charities when they skim the cream off the top and then some 😦
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Yet one’s like this remain the most popular and receive the largest media attention. I love how MD Anderson Hospital BRAGS they’ve been in the cancer business for over 60 years. Personally, I wouldn’t brag about failing to find answers to ANY life threatening disease for over six decades.
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Not exactly a resounding success is it !
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And the gravy train lumbers on….and on…Gone are the days when I contribute to a charity maybe a local one where I know the funds are put to good use..Bottom line WE need to be more proactive and do our own research into how to feed our bodies as healthily as we can….Read research papers and go armed to our medical practitioner with questions and together work towards helping you or yours..We need to take charge alongside our doctors with our own care.
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I love your energy and passion. I agree that people must be more personally responsible. For this to occur, they must first realize this themselves. People have a tendency of living day to day without any game plan or personally meaningful goals. This reduces brain function to mere repetition rather than than providing it creative purpose to produce amazing results.
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Wow. Very enlightening… and disappointing. Thanks for doing all that digging, Doctor Jonathan.
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I appreciate all your support, Tony.
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It is not shocking that this is happening but it’s heart wrenching. To think that some humans have lost all sense of humanity breaks my heart. If money is considered before human lives, I don’t know where this world is heading. This same thing happens in Africa. Funds donated for eradication of hunger, places hit by drought and IDP’s are usually embezzled by those in charge which is sad. Thanks for opening our eyes. It seems we have not progressed much from the “survival of the fittest” lifestyle our ancestors lived.
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As a physician I talk about disease. Greed is a disease we don’t acknowledge in the health care field in any meaningful way. You can’t treat/fix something if you’re not willing to identify it before CONFRONTING it.
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Definitely. Turning a blind eye to it has certainly not helped in any way.
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I have often found the Charity Navigator to be invaluable! However, I had no idea of the length and breadth of the mismanagement of donations to this Foundation, Thank you for educating all of us & I agree with you…personal support is often the best way to give. Hugs & Blessings for all you do to inform us!!
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In general, I truly believe people are good and well intentioned. I also believe limited (often biased) information can result in misconceptions and harmful outcomes. I try to (somewhat) level the playing field with information that isn’t typically shared with the average consumer. It is important to me that everyone has a chance to live and experience the quality of life they choose and desire. Better information produces better chances to achieve these goals.
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Reblogged this on One Regular Guy Writing about Food, Exercise and Living Past 100 and commented:
While a little off the beaten path, this post has some useful information on donating to fight breast cancer.
Tony
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Thank you so much for sharing, Tony. I’ll bet many people will have second thoughts supporting this organization. Research is certainly needed to address all kinds of health problems, but we need to find responsible ones based on conviction, honesty and integrity. It is only these types of organizations that are truly interested in developing treatment plans that address the ROOT CAUSES of disease.
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Amen to that. Thanks again for chasing down the facts.
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[…] Do You Contribute To Discovering The CURE For Breast Cancer? […]
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39.1% of funds go the Public Health Education. Are you kinding me. Its called marketing. Caner is not Pink. There is not money in the Cure! There sure is money in the breast cancer threatments that don’t cure the cancer at all!
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It’s interesting that people are ready to “burn you at the stake” if you speak negatively against a cause like Komen and “Race For The Cure.” People want to believe that ALL charities are benevolent. This is why I wanted to share these facts with the readers. In my opinion, Sloths are the animal of choice when comparing the speed and effort utilized in developing the best APPROACH to DISEASE. Whether it’s cancer or any other named disease, the FIRST approach must be LIFESTYLE. The body was created inherently HEALTHY. It is our willingness to compete with it by subjecting it to massive physical and emotional abuse that leads to its demise (in most cases.) The masses simply refuse to believe or accept this TRUTH.
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To those who I have offended, please accept my apologies. I am truly sorry for my sarcastic reply in regard to cancer no longer being pink. Thank you for hearing me out. I am an advocate for their charities. They do such wonders things for those who are suffering. But Komen has given up on the Cure. Their business briefs show it.
I have participated in ‘the walk for the cure’ before I got cancer. The original Susand G Komen organization called it “the walk for the cure”. The komen company now holds ownership in triplet with the Bank of America, The Dallas Cowboys and General Electric. There is nothing that mentions “the cure” in anything I’ve seen, cited and read about this new company..
That was diagnosed with an invasive ductal carcinoma. I chose to treat my cancer, under physicians’ knowledge, using alternative medicine techniques. There are many facets to my success; each physical, emotional, nutritional and spiritual. My personal mission today is to be vigilant with my passion and beliefs in alternative healing techniques that have been successful for me.
My medical doctors are being difficult in supporting my alternative viewpoint and I have been denied care since my cancer diagnosis, because of my alternative medicine beliefs.
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It’s a shame your doctors choose to be combative rather than supportive. Whether your choice of approach is effective or not, it is your choice. Their job is to aide YOUR DECISION the best way they know how. It is not their job to mandate care.
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God Bless You!
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