Susan Komen CEO's salary draws fire as donations drop (64% pay raise)

[The Straight Story]

When the Susan G. Komen Foundation announced last week that it was canceling half of its 3-Day races next year, the charity blamed the economy. But it also acknowledged that its decision to stop providing funds to Planned Parenthood was a factor.

In early 2012, Komen announced it was pulling its grants for breast-cancer screenings from Planned Parenthood, drawing an immediate backlash from Komen supporters and abortion rights advocates. Within days, Nancy Brinker, the group’s founder and CEO, reversed the decision to defund the organization. Then, in August, Brinker announced that she would be stepping down.

But 10 months later, Brinker still holds her position and tax documents reveal that she received a 64 percent raise and now makes $684,000 a year, according to the charity’s latest available tax filing. Komen says the raise came in November 2010, prior to last year’s controversy.

Ken Berger, president and CEO of Charity Navigator, which evaluates and rates charities, called Brinker’s salary “extremely high.”

“This pay package is way outside the norm," he said. "It's about a quarter of a million dollars more than what we see for charities of this size. ... This is more than the head of the Red Cross is making for an organization that is one-tenth the size of the Red Cross.”

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/10/18869742-susan-komen-ceos-salary-draws-fire-as-donations-drop-races-are-canceled?lite

[joeybee12]

1. I'm starting to wonder just how much of the money they raised

ever made it to charities/research.

[riqster]

8. I switched to Pelotonia this year.

100% throughput, since corporate partners underwrite the costs.

[joeybee12]

10. I'm seeing more ads about the Avon walk...

They're probably getting people who don't want anything to do with Komen anymore.

[JoeyT]

33. IIRC not much.

They weren't focused on charities or research. They promoted awareness.

Do you know breast cancer exists? Then I think they did their job.

[Quantess]

43. Which only adds to the irony of cutting funds to Planned Parenthood.

What's the use in getting low income women to be aware of breast cancer if they have a difficult time getting it checked?

[RILib]

45. what a surprise, breast cancer exists? who knew.

[Eleanors38]

2. Phewww. Grab, grab, grab.

[BrotherIvan]

3. I hope this finally puts the nail in their disgusting coffin

Using an issue like breast cancer to enrich themselves and their rw friends is cynical, base and disgusting. They should be shamed out of existence.

[n2doc]

4. Sick. She already was rich

Typical 1%er, never enough money, even if it has to be taken from a charity.

[Journeyman]

5. Breast cancer been berry berry good to some . . .

There are always those who will profit from other's misfortunes.

What's stunning is the comment from Charity Navigator. $684,000 is "extremely high," but they'd see nothing wrong with her making a quarter million less -- $434,000!

[Initech]

6. WTF. My last raise was like $1.25 an hour.

$640k a year to run a charity is quite frankly obscene.

[jmowreader]

42. Depending on the charity, it may not be

I can see paying the head of the American Red Cross that kind of money...Komen, not so.

[laundry_queen]

7. See, now HERE's a charity that needs auditing. nt

[VA_Jill]

24. Amen

Now who do we petition for the audit?

[DCKit]

32. Unfortunately, what they do is legal.

It's the law that need to change.

They ought to run it along the lines of the ACA, even better, Medicare, where the allowed spending for admin would be either 15% or 5%, respectively.

So it's up to CONgress, just know that an awful lot of Congresscritter's wives and family members are drawing their salaries from charities. Don't hold your breath.

[sulphurdunn]

48. It seems as though

most financial crimes are legal anymore. A tax exempt charity that gives it's CEO a 64% raise must be one hell of a profitable racket. Excuse me, that should be "legal" racket.

[RainDog]

9. Would NEVER give money to this org

Not after the shit they pulled last year.

[frylock]

11. scammers..

I feel badly for anyone duped by these assholes. I still know people that participate in their events.

[on point]

12. Trying to get while the getting is good, before the ship sinks

[truebluegreen]

31. GMTA (see reply #30)

[on point]

13. I now give directly to Planned Parenthood. Perhaps Komen can apply for a grant from PP !

[msanthrope]

14. Typical Republican! nt

[Atman]

15. Even my wife, a health care provider, says she wants nothing to do with Komen.

The last straw was sing the pink ribbon on a freaking bag of POTATO CHIPS or something horrible. I don't remember what the product actually was, but it was something totally wrong. Komen ha sold out for profits, pure and simple. I wouldn't give them a penny.

[tabbycat31]

27. they put a pink ribbon on a KFC bucket

[JoeyT]

34. Potato chips are fairly tame compared to some of the shit they stuck a ribbon on.

Introducing the Smith and Wesson Breast Cancer Awareness 9mm handgun.

[RILib]

46. HP printer paper

Now a pink ribbon means to me, don't buy this product.

[SunSeeker]

16. Brinker is so fucking tone deaf.

Even if she did get the raise in 2010, why did she keep it if the charity had to cut races in half? Shouldn't she have cut her salary in half too? I don't know anyone who gives to Komen anymore. Apparently she doesn't give to Komen either.

[LittleBlue]

17. Scam alert

Won't donate a penny to this outfit. The mob would be proud of a racket like this.

[Walk away]

18. This whole organization is a scam.

What do they have to do with breast cancer research? All they do is protect and promote and sell their brand.

[DFW]

19. Ken Berger obviously doesn't get it.

Brinker is a right-wing Republican. They are entitled to drawing as much money as they can get away with as long as they haven't earned it. Didn't anyone ever tell Berger that?

[Dawson Leery]

20. Komen, as with it's MegaChurch cousins, has been a scam from the start

both designed by religious zealots to fleece people of their hard earned dollars.

[JI7]

21. in the end this was probably a good thing, people become more aware where the money is going

not on stupid bracelets, ribbons and other promotional shit.

but they can make sure the money goes more towards research and help for patients.

[azurnoir]

22. Nice to see the priorities of the Komen Foundation

[VA_Jill]

23. Susan G. Komen

shot themselves in the foot, and I'm not at all disposed to do anything to remove the bullet or relive their pain. They can rot in hell.

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. holy crap! The presidents of big ass universities are paid less

[mountain grammy]

26. Planned Parenthood has always been my number one charity.

They were there for me when I needed them and many friends and acquaintances have benefitted from their services. There has been barely a whisper of scandal in nearly 100 years. Walk into any PP clinic in the country and chances are you will find professional staff who are there to help.
I remember Faye Wattleton, and Gloria Feldt. Now PPFA is headed by Cecile Richards, daughter of the late, great Ann Richards. These women were dedicated to one thing; women's health.
I have manned phones, served as an escort at the clinics, and donated regularly to this organization that has done so much to promote women's health.
Planned Parenthood was here long before Komen and will be here long after Komen is gone.

[Horse with no Name]

28. Not sure but I have to wonder if the whole PP debacle was carefully crafted

to appeal to the teabillies so that they would empty their life savings in support of her "unity" with them? And then in the process, use the funds that were earmarked to PP for her raise?

The only problem is...those folks are full of shit but the majority in Teahadistan don't have a pot to piss in or a window to pour it out of...let alone money to fund her lifestyle.

[RedstDem]

29. i didn't know who Susan Komen was

I believe she has passed from this world, but, isn't this kinda like dragging her name thru the mud at this point?
have they no shame?...oh yeah, Right winger, scratch that last question....

[diane in sf]

36. Susan Komen was Brinker's sister.

[IggleDoer]

52. And Brinker has been dancing on her grave ever since.

n/t

[truebluegreen]

30. Getting it while the gettin's good....

Maybe she sees the end of the gravy train in the near future.

[southernyankeebelle]

35. We see how much she really loves her sister.

[HiPointDem]

37. kr. komen = scam.

[Skittles]

38. what a scam

absolutely disgusting

[b.durruti]

39. KKKomen. -nt-

[Zoeisright]

40. Just another reason to never give a nickel to those assholes.

They're corrupt to the core.

[TexasTowelie]

41. I never donated to Komen for two reasons.

1) My right-wing boss would send e-mails asking for donations when she participated in a run. This was a direct violation of company policy and I resented the coercion that was applied.

2) The event in which she participated was always held the same weekend as my college homecoming. I was knocked out of attending homecoming several times since we had a small office staff and it wasn't possible for both of us to take vacation at the same time.

[Aerows]

44. She's a thief and a liar

I have no idea how such an evil person gets so high in a "charity" because it's anything but a charity.

[jessie04]

47. Found this on wiki

In the 2009-2010 fiscal year, ending March 31, 2010, Komen reported approximately US $400 million in earnings. Of this, $365 million (91.3 percent) came from contributions from the public, including donations, sponsorships, race entry fees, and contributed goods and services. Approximately $35 million (8.8 percent) came from interest and dividends and gains on investments.

That same fiscal year, Komen reported approximately
$360 million in expenses.

$283.2 million of this went towards program services:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
$75.4 million (20.9 percent of total expenditure) went to research,
$140.8 million (39.1 percent) went to public health education,
$46.9 million (13 percent) went to health screening services,
$20.1 million (5.6 percent) went to treatment services.



The other $76.8 million went to supporting services, including
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$36.1 million (10 percent of total expenditure) toward fund-raising costs
$40.6 million (11.3 percent) toward general and administrative costs.

[blkmusclmachine]

49. $$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Stuart G]

50. Spread the word.. Susan Koman's Foundation CEO makes $684,000. said she would resign, didn't...nt

[AngryOldDem]

51. I've run my last Komen race.

I've participated the past two years for mostly selfish reasons. Because it's held in mid-April -- the beginning of my outdoor running season -- I use it as a tune up and barometer for future races. Plus, I like the downtown course. But after reading this about Brinker I'm not giving her any more of my money. There's another race in the suburbs that weekend that I'll probably enter next year.

[Ilsa]

53. Not a dime from me.

Why does anyone think she's worth that?