The Prostate Cancer Foundation recently rejected thousands of donations from users of the social networking site Reddit pledging in honor of Jennifer Lawrence, one of several actresses whose personal photos were hacked and released virally on the website.
According to David Campbell, a professor of public administration at Binghamton University who teaches on philanthropy and has served on the boards of national charity organizations, the Foundation made the right choice.
“In the end, the charity has to decide whether aligning themselves with a troubled celebrity or corporation compromises its mission or sullies its reputation (despite the increased donations). It can be a close call, but not in this case,” Campbell said. “Reddit’s effort appears juvenile and, in that way, contrary to the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s mission. The Foundation made a good decision.”
With the country still cooling off from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Campbell notes differences between the charitable campaigns, both of which are reliant on social media.
“I have found all the debate about the Ice Bucket Challenge encouraging, and I hope it leads to more giving, generally, and more informed giving, in particular,” Campbell said. “The Reddit effort is part of a more troubling history of corporations (and sometimes individuals) in need of a reputation boost, or just more attention, aligning themselves with high-profile charities.”
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