01:
PUBLIC
We run provocative ad campaigns to reverse the public mindset.
City by city, we reverse counterproductive ideas about charity and teach the donating public to demand big impact — not low overhead, with simple and creative campaigns that speak to everyone.
02:
MEDIA
We hold the media accountable for their reporting on charities.
We raise the media’s literacy about what’s important when evaluating a charity, and make sure they’re focused on impact instead of overhead.
Case #1
Material errors and omissions uncovered in CBS and New York Times reporting on Wounded Warrior Project.
Wounded Warrior Project grew from nothing to 40% of private funding for veterans causes in just fifteen years by making powerful investments in public education. They measured their impact with customer satisfaction surveys to veterans that consistently scored above 90% satisfaction. When CBS News and the New York Times attacked them for their overhead, we developed a series of tools to show the public how the media got it almost entirely wrong.
Case #2
Media malfeasance in NPR and Pro Publica Reporting on Red Cross initiatives in Haiti.
It was widely reported that the Red Cross raised half a billion dollars for Haiti and only built six homes. The truth is they repaired homes, relocated tens of thousands of people, renovated bridges, restored power, created transitional shelters for tens of thousands, funded a vaccine, repaired hospitals and clinics, created new job training programs and much more. When Pro Publica and NPR got it wrong, we were there with donor advisories to show the truly remarkable impact of Red Cross efforts.
Case #3
Misleading CBS News report omits critical material facts about ASPCA and misguides viewers about how nonprofit organizations maximize impact for donors.
ASPCA is the oldest humane society to be established in North America. Every year, they help hundreds of thousands of animals. Investments in fundraising have allowed them to help many more animals. A 2021 CBS News report insinuated that big fundraising investments minimize ASPCA's ability to fund local “SPCA” organizations, implying that this is a breach of donor trust. But ASPCA is not legally related to local independent SPCA organizations and was never chartered to fund them. CBS News reported none of ASPCA’s self-funded project results, leaving donors to wonder if ASPCA does any real work to help animals with the millions it raises every year. It did no cost-benefit analysis on ASPCA’s fundraising investments. Our donor advisory on the reporting sets the record straight.
Case #4
Digital Billboard Campaign Throughout Massachusetts Offers Commuters a New Question About Charity
Through a partnership with ClearChannel, we ran digital billboards all over Massachusetts telling donors, “Don’t ask if a charity has low overhead. Ask if it has big impact.”It resulted in 300,000 individual impressions, and within two weeks, it resulted in a front-page - actually top of the front page story in the Boston Globe creating a public conversation about these issues.
Support our cause
Come out about what you really need to produce results with our popular “I’m Overhead” shirt.
Buy them in bulk for your whole team. Schedule an ”I’m Overhead” day at your organization and invite everyone to wear them. Use them as conversation starters with your friends. They even have message points printed on the sleeve so you’re at your articulate best when promoting a new way of thinking about changing the world.
