Charity to refuse Fauxvember donations
The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) has decided to refuse donations from rival Movember charity organisation, Fauxvember.
Fauxvember founder Adrian Hempel said he had received no direct communication from PCFA before the decision was made and first learned of it when a Fauxvember participant noticed that all mention of the PCFA had been removed from the donation website.
“The website is operated by a third-party fundraising provider who accepts the donations as an agent for the charities,” Hempel explained.
“I have written to [PCFA] asking them if they’d be willing to give the reasons for their decision.”
Hempel started the rival campaign after being disappointed by what he believed to be homophobic statements made by beyondblue chairman Jeff Kennett.
Money raised from the Movember campaign is split between beyondblue, the PCFA and the Movember Foundation.
PCFA CEO Dr Anthony Lowe told the Star Observer that while the organisation does not agree with Kennett’s remarks about same-sex parenting, PCFA has a three-year agreement with Movember dating back to 2010, which precludes the organisation from being involved in fundraising initiatives involving facial hair.
“I have spoken at length with Jason Hincks, [chief operating officer of Movember] about Faxvember. He has asked us to disassociate ourselves from Fauxvember because it’s a public event and it’s leveraging Movember’s brand awareness,” Lowe said.
“They want exclusivity in facial hair fundraising.”
Lowe said that he’d spoken to third party fundraising provider Go Fundraise about not being informed donations were being made through Fauxvember.
“We only recently became aware they had set themselves up on that platform and I’ve had fairly strong words with the managing director of Go Fundraise,” he said.
“From our perspective it would have been better if Fauxvember had come to us and asked if we’d like to have been a beneficiary, then we could have explained that we appreciated the support but unfortunately cannot be involved.”
Future donations made via the Fauxvember donation website are now expected to be split evenly between the two remaining causes, The Black Dog Institute, and the National LGBTI Health Alliance.
Hempel said he found the decision surprising.
“All I was doing was giving people who have reservations about beyondblue’s leadership an alternative opportunity to support men’s and LGBTI health this November. I don’t understand how the decision is in the interests of people affected by prostate cancer.”
Lowe added that money donated from Movember goes into a range of initiatives including the Shine a Light program which is aimed at supporting and educating gay men affected by prostate cancer.
I may be wrong but it seems some may have missed the point here. As the article states, Fauxvember was trying to donate to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. It is only because of pressure applied by Movember that The PCFA has said that they can no longer accept the donations (not because of any decision by Fauxvember). Seems to me that those with prostate cancer miss out on some donations because of Movember’s ego. Not very charitable if you ask me.
Recent news items would indicate that most men die with prostate cancer, at an elderly point. If one were to play with the numbers, it appears men with prostate cancer, remaining untreated, live about 7 years longer than those without it. The general view is that Prostate Cancer, whilst an issue, is nowhere near the big issue the PCFA would have us believe which of course means that Fauxvember is right in not supporting them, and the poster who suggested Bobby Goldsmith etc, is right on the money. I agree. Support nothing that keeps Kennett as its head, since he is an unrequited moron.
From a marketing side of things I can see Movembers take on this as brand protection. No different to the Pink Ribbon copywrite stuff that goes on.
Personally I see this as a massive marketing op lost. As Fauxvember could be (after some adjustment) an integrated brand for women and kids to wear stick on branded mo’s (mobile billboards) to also show their support for the cause.
Contracts? For raising donations? Geez!
It looks as if “the old boys network” is well and truly alive and working overtime in the charity business.
Don’t blame the good people at Prostate Australia.
As the article states:
“PCFA has a three-year agreement with Movember dating back to 2010, which precludes the organisation from being involved in fundraising initiatives involving facial hair.”
And they refuted Kennett’s remarks on same-sex parenting.
I have to question the motives of the Movember people first and foremost. If their aim is primarily to get money to the charities they represent then who cares where that money comes from. I’m not a cynical person by nature, but it makes me question how much movember monies raised gets directed to the administration of the movember organisation.
Well I would prefer to donate to either the:
*AIDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA
*BOBBY GOLDSMITH FOUNDATION
*TWENTY-TEN (LGBT Youth)
Than anything, Mr Kennett, was involved in.
[…] by Chris, on November 22nd, 2011 Movember’s agreement with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia “precludes the org… …huh?, Wait what?, lulz Previous Post […]
Sorry, but I don’t donate to charities too rich to need money from everyone who cares. Damn, it’s not like it was money from the mafia or the Klan…
Wow. All this fancy footwork.
It seems getting money to the deserving causes is pretty low down the list for Movember……