Breast cancer survivors hold up roses at the 2009 Susan G. Komen Orange County Race for the Cure--an organization that gets high scores from charity evaluators. The Coalition Against Breast Cancer, on the other hand, is accused by the state of New York of running a scam. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
As breast cancer charities go, Coalition Against Breast Cancer may not have the name recognition of, say, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, but its name is no doubt familiar to many earnest consumers who want their purchasing power to benefit the greater good. Alas, in a case that may offer lessons for those same consumers, the Coalition Against Breast Cancer is being accused by the state of New York of using almost none of the funds it collected for the cause.
The Coalition Against Breast Cancer, based in Long Island, told donors their money would go toward research and mammogram screenings, but spent most of the $9.1 million it collected over five years on fundraising fees, salaries and benefits and personal goods, the state attorney general alleges. This Reuters
article explains the details of the case; note that the attorney general uses the word “scam” and neither the group nor its for-profit fundraiser was available for comment.