Check where donations go

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, a 31-day period that has become synonymous with one color — pink.

Fighting breast cancer is an important battle — 1 in 8 women will get it, and it kills more than 40,000 each year. And the month of pink-coated awareness has led to a lot of positive education efforts — we know exercise, a good diet, annual mammograms and self-examines can go incredibly far in preventing cancer and making sure it is caught early if it does develop.

But all that pink and “awareness” has given birth to a new cottage industry — the commercialization of cancer. Everyone wants to give back, and because breast cancer touches so many lives and the pink ribbons and gear is wellassociated with it, many businesses and non-profits want to get in — some might say exploit — the phenomenon.

Famously, the NFL decks its players out in pink every Sunday in October and then sells the associated gear to “support breast cancer research.” However, it has now been thoroughly reported by various media outlets that, after everyone takes their cut and overhead, only 8 percent of the money spent on the NFL’s pink gear actually goes to breast cancer research.

The situation only underscores that our assumptions about where our money is going when we give to charity can be quite inaccurate. Whether it’s the pink ribbon bought in the grocery store checkout line or the shirts being sold at various schools, we give in well-meaning hopes of doing good without putting any critical thought to it. Experts do offer some tips: Ask questions — Don’t assume the proceeds from that pink ribbon you’re buying at the drug store is going to cancer research at all. Ask not only where the money is going but also what percentage of the cost will be donated and how the funds will be used. If they can’t answer the questions — or you can’t verify the answers — take a second look.

Know the business and charity — Ignore the immediate pressure to donate or make a pink purchase and take the time to research the business or charity. Make sure they have good reputations, using sites like the Better Business Bureau or CharityNavigator.com.

Think about your purchase — If whatever pink item you’re buying doesn’t represent something you truly want or need, consider if you would be better off simply giving that money directly to a breast cancer charity ...

Read the full editorial from the Ashtabula Star-Beacon at bit.ly/2fL8soO