Our last few reports, including “Utilizing Corporate Governance to Align Agendas” , have focused on the need for the major diabetes non-profit foundations to improve operations and become more transparent so that potential and current donors can be better aware of where their money is going and what it is actually funding.
At the JDCA we believe that an important reason for this is the fact that donor intentions are not reflected in the actual expenses of these foundations. A relatively small portion of donated money actually goes to type 1 diabetes cure research. This is troubling considering that the majority of donors who participate in all kinds of different fundraisers (including Walk, Ride and Boogie for a Cure, among others) are focused on one thing – to help the fight for a type 1 diabetes cure so that they or their loved ones can experience the benefits of a cure-like lifestyle in their lifetime.
We have conducted over 4 surveys to learn about the perceptions and intentions of donors. Our latest survey, Prevention vs. Cure, revealed that no less than 90 percent of all respondents identified a type 1 diabetes cure as the main reason why they donate money to the foundations. What is even more revealing is that close to 70 percent of respondents in our Donor Intentions survey indicated that they believe the money they donate is really being used for what they intended. Unfortunately donor intentions and the allocations of donor contributions do not seem to line up.
The JDCA believes that in order to sharpen the focus of research and accelerate the development of a cure, donor intentions should be reflected in funding allocations. We believe that this would reduce much of the frustration and disillusionment felt by donors. Adopting a formal definition of a cure would also impart greater precision in research strategies and help to accelerate tangible progress toward a Practical Cure.
– Stoyan
