DailyDirt: Effective Charity FTW

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

We've previously pointed out how some charities might need some changes to improve their reputation, public image and effectiveness. Some charities have been vilified for million-dollar CEO salaries or inefficient operations, but in the end, everyone wants to see more net good come from their donations than would have happened by doing nothing, right? Here are just a few examples of charitable organizations getting some good results -- even if their methods may still be debated.

• Last year, the Ice Bucket Challenge raised about $115 million (in the US alone) from 2.5 million people, raising awareness about ALS -- and wasting a bit of water. According to the ALS Association, the Ice Bucket money for ALS (aka Lou Gehrig's disease) will be spent thusly: 67% on research, 20% on patient and community services, 9% on education, 2% on fundraising and 2% on external processing fees. The Ice Bucket Challenge was one of the largest charitable events (outside of disaster or emergency), and it may be difficult to repeat this kind of viral phenomenon. Still, the ALS Association wants August to become a traditional month for ALS awareness... and a couple million bucks will be spent to try to get more than a few million back in donations. [url]
• The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) funded a biotech company with $75 million to research a cure for over more than a decade. A treatment from Vertex Pharmaceuticals appears to be successful for some patients, and further research could improve the results for more people who suffer with cystic fibrosis. [url]
• Instead of money, Toyota donated its engineers to the Food Bank for New York City. Armed with a philosophy of 'continuous improvement' (aka kaizen), higher productivity at the charity meant more people were fed more efficiently. Elsewhere, Toyota's efficiency methods are also being used at more and more hospitals. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: als, biotech, cff, charity, cystic fibrosis, donations, efficiency, ice bucket challenge, kaizen, lou gehrig's disease, medicine
Companies: als association, cystic fibrosis foundation, toyota

ALS Association Responds To Public Outcry; Withdraws Trademark Application On Ice Bucket Challenge

from the a-bit-late,-but-good-for-them dept

Yesterday we wrote about the ALS Association trying to trademark "ice bucket challenge" despite having absolutely nothing to do with the ice bucket challenge or its rise to viral fame. A lot of other news sites also wrote about the story, and there was quite an uproar on Twitter. At first, the ALS Association defended the move claiming that it only did so "after seeing many examples of unscrupulous profiteers trying to drive revenue to themselves, instead of the fight against ALS." However, a little while ago, the ALS Association reached out to us (and via their Twitter feed, it appears they're trying to respond to pretty much everyone) to say that it has withdrawn the trademark application:

The ALS Association filed for these trademarks in good faith as a measure to protect the Ice Bucket Challenge from misuse after consulting with the families who initiated the challenge this summer. However, we understand the public’s concern and are withdrawing the trademark applications. We appreciate the generosity and enthusiasm of everyone who has taken the challenge and donated to ALS charities.

As many people pointed out, this seemed like yet another example of lawyers stepping in to tell people what they can do (or, at least can try to do) without anyone ever bothering to think about whether or not they should do it. At least the ALS Association realized how bad this was eventually and withdrew the applications. Not everything needs to be owned. If people are abusing the Ice Bucket Challenge, there are ways to deal with that, including public shaming. Like the public shame that convinced the ALS Association to withdraw its trademark application.

Extra kudos to Erik Pelton, the trademark lawyer who originally spotted the application, and was vocal in explaining why it was a bad idea for the ALS Foundation.

Filed Under: als, ice bucket challenge, lou gehrig's disease, ownership, trademark
Companies: als association