Charity Fundraising and the Ethics of Voice: Cancer Survivors’ Perspectives on Macmillan Cancer Support’s “Brave the Shave” Campaign

Abstract

Brave the Shave", a campaign by the UK charity Macmillan Cancer Support, encourages people to seek sponsorship to shave off all their hair and share the event on social media. Brave the Shave has attracted fierce criticism from a group of breast cancer survivors who have made it clear that they find the campaign deeply offensive and insensitive. Despite the controversy, Macmillan is continuing with this fundraising initiative, arguing that it is financially successful and provides much-need resources for its services. Its line of defense amounts to the argument that the ends justify the means. This apparent refusal to hear and act upon the complaints forms the central focus of this article. Macmillan's denial sits uneasily with its mission to improve the lives of cancer survivors. The case invites ethical questions around how much voice clients have, the lack of recognition for cancer survivors' experiences and the general power deficit in the donor-recipient relationship. The article argues that a commitment to a meaningful dialogue and a willingness to be transparent with clients about campaign strategies would be a potentially important step toward avoiding offensive fundraising narratives which deny the suffering of the very people charities aim to assist.

“The sweetest songs”—Ethical framing in fundraising through the agency of service users/contributors to tell their own stories

“…Further, does this end justify these means if the means cause harm elsewhere, for example, by “othering” and stereotyping, particularly over the longer term? (Gies, 2021, pp. 93–94; Nathanson, 2013, p. 105; Plewes & Stuart, 2007, p. 3).…”

“…Many authors answer their own question in the negative: no, the end (raising money) does not justify the means (negative images) (e.g., Gies, 2021, p. 95; Plewes & Stuart, 2007, p. 36). However, the Canadian Council for International Co‐operation (CCIC, 2008, p. 7) points out that the varied perspectives for and against the Fundraising Frame highlight the “complexity” of the issue and illustrate why a “single simple solution has not been found.” CCIC (ibid, p. 8) further argues the need for ongoing ethical reflection to find a solution in which fundraising images can be both respectful and financially effective.…”

Applying a stakeholder management approach to ethics in charitable fundraising

“…Fundraisers write differently about populations that are more socially stigmatized, justifying their worthiness with additional facts, and downplaying their expected positive outcomes relative to more acceptable populations (Hansen, 2020a). Beneficiaries are not always pleased with how they appear in fundraising materials, although often they accept the need to simplify the situation for the purposes of seeking funding (Barnett & Hammond, 1999; Bhati & Eikenberry, 2016; Breeze & Dean, 2012; Gies, 2021).…”

“…If there were differences in fundraising results between the different choices, that might also be shared with a group of beneficiaries, who might help problem solve to try to find an optimal solution. Gies (2021) recently published an account of cancer survivors who felt demeaned by a financially successful fundraising campaign called “Brave the Shave” intended to benefit an organization at which they were clients. In an online thread, clients reported feeling degraded, with comments such as “Why don't they consult us?” (Gies, 2021, p 7).…”

“…Gies (2021) recently published an account of cancer survivors who felt demeaned by a financially successful fundraising campaign called “Brave the Shave” intended to benefit an organization at which they were clients. In an online thread, clients reported feeling degraded, with comments such as “Why don't they consult us?” (Gies, 2021, p 7). The opportunity for clients to substantively participate in the decision making is one that must be weighed, of course, against the interests of other stakeholders, within the context of the organization's mission and values for how that mission might best be accomplished.…”