Breast Cancer Charities: Where to Give and Where to Avoid



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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the issue is of concern again to many people.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women.

One way to help combat this devastating disease is to contribute to charitable organizations focused on breast cancer research, prevention and treatment.

But with the large number of organizations with similar names dedicated to the cause, how do you know which are the best?

When you plan to donate, the first thing to do is to check with charity oversight groups who evaluate how much each organization is spending the donor money on.

Charity Watch and Charity Navigator are two of the largest guard dogs. Both groups evaluate thousands of charities and not-for-profit organizations by reviewing their financial statements, tax reports, program expenses and fundraising costs.

According to Charity Navigator Executive Director Michael Thatcher, it's important to consider three things: give a clear motivation to give and focus on the areas where you want to make an impact, check the financial health and responsibility of the organization, and check the signs of results.

With respect to breast cancer, ask yourself if you want your money to be used for research and healing, support services for cancer patients, support for families, or education and to public awareness, said Thatcher.

Charity Watch: Top charities against breast cancer

The Charity Watch of the American Institute of Philanthropy mentions 12 organizations among the top-rated cancer charities. Of these, there are three that focus specifically on the prevention and research of breast cancer:

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

  • Mission: Prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the most promising research in the world.
  • Note: A +
  • Percentage of program (percentage of cash budget spent on programs versus overheads): 90%
  • Cost to raise $ 100 (how much does a charity spend on raising funds to raise $ 100 of contributions): $ 7

National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund

  • Mission: end breast cancer; has set a deadline for how to end breast cancer before January 1, 2020.
  • Note: A
  • Percentage of the program: 83%
  • Cost to raise $ 100: $ 13

Partners in Breast Cancer Prevention (formerly Breast Cancer Fund)

  • Mission: Fight against breast cancer by eliminating exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation related to the disease.
  • Note: A-
  • Percentage of the program: 77%
  • Cost to raise $ 100: $ 13

Charity Watch also gives top marks to those cancer list organizations that are also involved in breast cancer research, treatment, and education: Institute for Cancer Research, Memorial Center for Cancer Sloan Kettering Cancer, Prevent Cancer Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

Charity Navigator: Leading Charities Against Breast Cancer

Charity Navigator uses a star rating system to evaluate how well a charity uses your donations.

Of the three charities highly recommended by Charity Watch, the Breast Cancer Foundation, three out of four stars of Charity Navigator. The National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund and partners for breast cancer prevention also received three stars.

Other national charities dedicated to breast cancer research and medical services that have received four stars from Charity Navigator:

Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation

  • Mission: Achieve a future without breast cancer and improve the lives of those affected by this event through education and advocacy.
  • Score: 93.08
  • Program expenses: 81.7%

Lynn Sage Foundation for Cancer Research

Charity Navigator also awarded four stars to these associations that provide support and education services on breast cancer: Bay Area Cancer Connections, It's the Journey, Casting for Recovery, Sharsheret, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Living beyond breast cancer and American Italian Cancer Foundation.

Susan G. Komen

One of the largest and best-known charitable organizations dedicated to the cause is Susan G. Komen's breast cancer organization. The charity was founded in 1982 and was one of the first to dedicate itself to the cause of breast cancer research and raised millions of dollars.

The organization's reputation was slightly damaged after the decision in 2012 to remove funding for controversial screening and breast cancer awareness programs at Planned Parenthood. The group quickly canceled his decision.

The organization has also been criticized for what some have described as "excessive remuneration" and "teeth whitening", which are the cause of marketing with pink ribbons that allow companies to exploit the disease for lucrative.

The charity has received mixed results from watch dogs. Charity Navigator assigns Susan G. Komen for treatment a score of 3 stars (out of 4) and lists the percentage of her expenses for programs and services at 78.9%.

Do not Give: Charities Not Highly Rated

Charity Navigator also cites these organizations as being poorly rated and states, "We advise you to look carefully before supporting any of these charities."

A very disturbing opinion has been published for the benefit of the late charities Breast Cancer Survivors Foundation Inc. and Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation.

Other organizations are rated lower because they have got lower financial support and are spending more on fundraising than for allocating funds to problems, said Thatcher. "The money will spend money to make money.

These organizations received zero or one star:

This article was published in October 2017 and was last updated on October 3, 2018.

© 2018 USATODAY.COM

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