September 5, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
A plan by the American Cancer Society to devote its advertising budget to a campaign to improve access to health care could alienate some donors, writes Trent Stamp, president of the watchdog group Charity Navigator.
Mr. Stamp says he admires the cancer society’s “boldness” for making the connection between the lack of health insurance and the ability to get preventive care, including an early diagnosis of cancer.
However, he writes on Trent Stamp’s Take, the plan also is a case of “mission creep.”
“I’m not sure how it’s going to play in the funeral homes and churches of this nation,” he writes, “when folks who made a donation in memory of a family member who died of cancer (but had plenty of insurance) find out their gift is going not to research or education, but to commercials urging Hillary Clinton to have the political courage to try again on universal health care.”
Mr. Stamp also faults the group for not proposing a specific remedy to the country’s health-insurance crisis.
On the other hand, he says, by linking its cause with a major societal problem, the cancer society “has people talking (and blogging) about their work and their purpose. And after all, isn’t that the point of advertising?”
What do you think of the American Cancer Society’s advertising plans? Do you think nonprofit groups should devote advertising to issues that go beyond their specific missions? Share your thoughts by clicking on comments link below this post.
