Cancer is a terrible disease. It is a diagnosis that nobody wants to hear. Those who fight and the people who love them go through plenty of pain and suffering trying to win the battle. It can break people down and tear families apart. The Prevent Cancer Foundation takes this deadly disease head-on.
Cancer can occur almost anywhere in the body. One of the scariest things about it is that it’s not always clear what causes it. This makes prevention difficult. Cancer can occur in the very young, the very old, and everyone in between. It can happen to someone exposed to certain toxins and also occur in someone never exposed to toxins. It is confusing and heart-wrenching to deal with.
The fact that there are so many different types of cancer doesn’t help either. The cause of one form of cancer may be different than another form, which is caused by something different. Certain kinds of cancer are usually deadly, whereas others are often quite treatable. It is a frustrating disease that requires a lot of research and hard work to fight.
There are plenty of organizations dedicated to cancer research and organizations tasked with helping people who are living with cancer. The Prevent Cancer Foundation aims to do both.
Prevent Cancer Foundation Background Information
The Prevent Cancer Foundation dedicates itself to keeping people from getting the disease, along with promoting early detection, which is one of the best ways to guarantee people can fight the disease successfully.
This organization was originally known as the Cancer Research Foundation of America and the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation. It is based in the United States and founded in 1985.
The organization is the only non-profit based in the country that is dedicated both to cancer prevention and early detection. The slogan used by the organization is “Stop Cancer Before It Starts!” The organization reports that an average of 79 cents from every dollar donated goes directly towards its prevention and early detection programs.
Prevent Cancer Foundation Reputation and Rating
Charity Navigator rates the Prevent Cancer Foundation with an overall four out of four stars. They awarded the foundation 87.62 points out of 100 for fiscal responsibility and 100 out of 100 points for accountability and transparency.
Prevent Cancer Foundation’s financial record
Tax-exempt organizations, nonexempt charitable trusts, and section 527 political organizations must file a Form 990 or 990EZ with the IRS.
The Prevent Cancer Foundation’s most recent IRS Form 990 or 990EZ available is for 2017. We extracted the following financial data from the organization’s most recent publicly available tax return for their fiscal year ending June 2017. This financial statement can give you a clearer picture of how the foundation uses their resources.
Percentage of donations spent on services
- Total donations and grants: $6,783,793
- Spent on services and grants: $5,589,248
- Percentage of donations toward grants and services: 82.39 Percent
Percentage of revenue spent on fundraising
- Total revenue: $6,893,077
- Fundraising expenses: $1,037,515
- Paid to professional fundraisers: $0.00
- Percentage of total revenue spent on fundraising: 15.05 percent
Administrative and overhead costs
- Overhead expenses: $504,434
- Property assets: $97,288
- Investment assets: $8,997,559
- Paid to officers/directors: $608,154
- Highest paid officer/director: President $276,269
- Percentage of total revenue spent on officers/directors salaries: 8.82 Percent
Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Program Focus
The Prevent Cancer Foundation cultivates programs focusing on four core areas to help reach the main goals of the organization. These areas include:
- Education
- Outreach
- Research
- Advocacy
Through education programs, the foundation is able to help people in the community become more aware of the warning signs of cancer and the importance of early detection, along with educating people about a healthy lifestyle and other ways to prevent cancer.
Outreach programs focus on reaching out to those in need and those who are most at risk of not getting proper treatment or preventative services. The foundation focuses on funding research that will help discover the cause of cancer.
Research studies are done throughout the country and around the world at top facilities. Advocacy involves getting into the legal and policy areas that affect those who have cancer and affect the medical care that can help with early detection and prevention.
The Prevent Cancer Foundation works diligently to fund programs and spread information to help people who may be affected by cancer. It has provided around $120 million in its history towards these efforts.
The Better Business Bureau recognizes the foundation, and it receives high marks from Charity Navigator. It is also a recommended charity of Philanthropedia and boasts the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.
How the Organization Helps
It is clear that this organization has a laser focus on wiping out cancer and stopping it from claiming lives. Early detection efforts can help people to get an early diagnosis, which often provides a much better chance of survival by preventing the cancer from growing too large or spreading. While prevention efforts may be more difficult since the complexity of the disease means there are likely many different causes depending on the type of cancer. However, it is still the main focus, with the organization hoping one day to know the cause and be able to prevent the disease.
The three main areas of focus for the foundation’s work are education and public awareness along with research and community outreach. The foundation works toward its goals through professional conferences, its research program, and outreach.
Public education is important in helping people understand the importance of healthy choices and seeking medical care, along with getting preventative care. The foundation helps make screening more accessible as well. It has worked with legislatures to change laws and develop legislation to help those with cancer.
The Prevent Cancer Foundation also partners with the American Association for Cancer Research to give out an annual award for significant work in the field. They award the prize to a researcher who has made considerable forward strides in translational science, epidemiology, behavioral science, clinical science, or fundamental science.
It is researchers who may ultimately bring about the major change in how health care workers diagnose and treat cancer that will make the largest impact on the disease. So, this award is a way of giving back to and encouraging those who are working so hard to change lives.
Getting Involved with the Prevent Cancer Foundation
You can get involved with the organization to help further its work and reach its goals. There are three main ways you can join their efforts and make your mark.
Become an advocate. As an advocate, you can help the fight to create and pass more legislation that can encourage early detection and prevention of cancer. As part of the grassroots efforts, you may make speeches, write letters, place phone calls, or attend meetings. You will play an active role in trying to bring about important changes that could impact countless lives.
Advocate work also includes going into the community and helping people who either have cancer or who might be at risk of getting cancer. You can help ensure proper medical care is available and that people are getting recommended screenings.
Advocacy
You can also spread information about preventing cancer and ensure that access to the information is widespread.
In this role, you may also help to get funding. You could speak to those who have money to donate and encourage donations and other involvement. Inform the community about why the foundation’s mission is so important in order to gain more support.
You also can volunteer directly with the foundation. Volunteering can involve a range of activities. Many times, volunteers are needed for the funding drives and for writing and mailing letters and making phone calls.
The foundation also holds events that help raise a large portion of the funds it needs. For example, the Annual Spring Gala is a large event that brings in a lot of funding. To pull off the Gala, though, the foundation requires plenty of people working behind the scenes to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Popular Annual Event
You may help do everything from securing auction items to serving food. Another popular event is the Annual 5K Walk/Run and Health Fair. You can be a participant or help encourage participants and organize the race.
However, not all volunteer work requires attending events. Of course, you can also help create new events that can raise money for the foundation. You can also write blog posts to help share the message of the foundation or to educate the public about cancer.
Finally, as mentioned, donations are important to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. It takes a lot of money to conduct research, advocate, and manage programs. If you don’t have time to volunteer or the ability to serve as an advocate, you can always just donate.
The organization is always in need. Contributions are tax-exempt because the foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The foundation strives for fiscal responsibility and ensures your money will go towards helping reach the goals and fund the programs. No matter how large or small your donation is, it is greatly appreciated.
Conclusion
Cancer is a scary word because it is a scary disease. While medicine hasn’t identified one singular cause, there is a lot more that is known about this disease than there was when the Prevent Cancer Foundation launched in 1985.
The organization has worked hard to fund research that has been very helpful in preventing and fighting this disease. Its efforts are focused on helping people to understand the importance of early detection and teaching them about how to prevent the disease.
It is through a multi-faceted approach that the foundation has been able to spread information and awareness. It has no doubt helped a countless number of people seek proper medical care and screening services that saved lives.
We shouldn’t ignore the work of the Prevent Cancer Foundation cannot because it is so important. It is very easy to get involved with this organization. If you have been touched by cancer in any way, getting involved with the foundation could be a great way of giving back and helping others to avoid what you went through.
While there is no guarantee that cancer will ever be wiped out, the foundation’s work is helping people beat this disease and bringing about changes that can help everyone who is somehow impacted by cancer.