Society's and Organizations?

Question

How much research and outcome is there really from all of the society's and organizations (Amercian Cancer, MS, Heart and Lung, etc) that with all the donations people have made over many years, what really happens to all that money and does it all really go to research.

If they can clone people, etc. why cant they find cures for cancer, etc.?

Answer 1

Have often wondered the same thing.  I was amazed to hear that American Heart charges providers a fee to take the basic and advanced cardiac life support classes they sponsor, even when the students are working as volunteers.  I would have thought that this type of activity is what my donations go for.  As to the groups that are looking for cures, we can speculate they are paying salaries to researchers, but there does not appear to be any public accountability.

Answer 2

This site may interest you...

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Answer 3

These organizations have extensive financial records which are available online, or per your request, for your scrutiny.

Cloning something is FAR easier than trying to find the causes of cells turning on themselves. The more you study science, the more you will understand why cancer is so difficult to prevent/cure.

Indeed, nonprofit organizations pay salaries of staff -- they pay their accountants, managers, marketing people, facilities managers, etc., as well as researchers. They also pay rent, utilities, legal fees, costs of equipment, transportation, etc. They don't get all this donated. The idea that issues like cancer, poverty, AIDS, domestic violence, etc., can be addressed ONLY by volunteers whenever they have some extra time to give, rather than by trained professionals with expertise in healthcare, counseling, etc., and only with in-kind donations, rather than cash, is quite a fantasy.

Answer 4

All non-profit financial records are open to the public.

One thing I have learned through my many years in the non-profit sector is that the larger the organization... the larger the payroll, therefore the less money that goes to actual programming.

United Way has come under fire several times for being top heavy on management and what they pay them. We used to receive United Way funding and they took 17% off the top of every dollar donated to us but they told the donor that they were only taking 3%. I got into trouble for letting the donors know the truth when I wrote the thank you notes and thanked them for the amount we actually received.

I think that the Red Cross has also been under scrutiny for similar practices.

I make my donations to small local non-profit organizations, preferably grassroots org. that serve youth. They tend to not have big budgets and little to no employees. They exist on volunteer efforts and in kind donations.

Answer 5

My stepfather (who died from cancer in 1997) always said, "If they find a cure, think of how many researchers would be out of a job."