Tag Archives: CEO Pay

CANCER PLAYS DIRTY AND “SO DO WE” ADMIT CANCER RESEARCH UK

During the summer, Cancer Research UK used a new strap line for its events; “Cancer Plays Dirty, So Do We” – a case of never a truer word spoken, demonstrated by their support for fraud, lies, hypocrisy and more over recent months.

Where to start? It’s not as if it is only one or two instances of Cancer Research UK “playing dirty”. No, “playing dirty” is deeply ingrained in the culture, the very fabric of the organisation.

Cancer Research UK “play dirty” when they refuse to recognise the man who created the Race for Life. Worse, not only have they consistently refused to give him the recognition due, they have made up a whole series of tales inventing different stories for the origins for the event. Misrepresentation at best.

Cancer Research UK “play dirty” when they mislead those considering entering the Race for Life and other events by telling them “this is beating cancer” but not telling them that not a single penny of their entry fee funds any research at all. Worse, they exclude all income from those events, from merchandise, from high street stores, from the figure they cite for percentage of income funding research. Misleading at best. (See Race for Life’s Triple Whammy).

Cancer Research UK “play dirty” when they pay themselves huge salaries, all of which need to be paid before a single penny of funds raised go to research. Their top five earners being paid over £1 million between them and 219 earning over £60,000 a year. More corporate greed that charitable act.

Cancer Research UK “play dirty” when they support the CV of former Head of Events Jill MacRae, who falsely claimed to be the creator of the Race for Life, probably supporting fraud in doing so given that a CV is used in order to make financial gain.

Cancer Research UK “play dirty” when they hypocritically accept awards and recognition for themselves, when they give recognition and awards to their own yet hypocritically deny recognition to the man who created their biggest fundraising event.

Cancer Research UK “play dirty” when they claim never to have heard of the man who created the Race for Life when a different charity asks about him to verify his CV, thus costing him a job offer.

Yes, Cancer Research UK, when you claim you ‘play dirty’ it may be the most (only?) honest claim you have made in months, if not years.

Unethical. hypocritical, dishonest, lacking transparency or integrity. Yes, Cancer Research UK definitely ‘play dirty’ – just not in the way they want you to think.

In the Race 4 Truth, Cancer Research UK are lagging behind.

YET AGAIN CRUK ARE BEING DISINGENUOUS WITH THEIR FOLLOWERS

As we have regularly reported, Cancer Research UK and the Race for Life already have form for using the truth liberally, being disingenuous with followers and with omitting key details to mislead supporters. Now they are at it again.

We have exposed Cancer Research UK and the Race for Life over their use of deliberately misleading communications before.

Sometimes it has been lying by omission, for example by not letting people know that none of their Race for Life entry fee goes to support research.

Or when they cleverly tell people that all the funds raised go to Cancer Research UK; as we pointed out not the same thing as going to research into cancer.

Then there was the discovery that when they calculate how much of their income does go to research, they fiddle the figures by deliberately omitting numerous income streams including Race for Life entry fees, merchandising, high street stores, and more, thus significantly inflating the percentage figure they claim.

Now, yesterday (24th September), the CRUK Events East Twitter feed (@CRUKEventsEast) posted a series of tweets stating; “The money you raised from completing Race for Life events….this summer will go directly into life-saving research” (our italics).

Only it won’t. It will go to directly to Cancer Research UK from where a percentage will find its way towards funding research. But not before 3964 members of staff have been paid (219 of whom earn over £60,000 with the top five earners receiving over £1 million between them each year). Not before expensive offices are paid for. Not before glossy marketing and advertising campaigns are paid for, such as the ‘donate £2 a month’ TV campaign which requires 18000 annual subscribers just to pay their CEO.

“Directly into life-saving research.” Their words.

Dishonest or disingenuous? You decide.

Misleading and clearly incorrect? Definitely.

In the Race 4 Truth, Cancer Research UK are lagging behind.

CANCER PLAYS DIRTY AND SO DO CANCER RESEARCH UK

Cancer Research UK has had a new strap line for its events over the summer; “Cancer Plays Dirty, So Do We”. And it’s a case of never a truer word spoken as we have exposed their support for fraud, lies, hypocrisy and more over recent months.

Where to start? It’s not as if it is only one or two instances of Cancer Research UK “playing dirty”. No, “playing dirty” is deeply ingrained in the culture, the very fabric of the organisation.

They “play dirty” when they refuse to recognise the man who created the Race for Life. Worse, not only have they consistently refused to give him the recognition due, they have made up a whole series of tales inventing different stories for the origins for the event. Misrepresentation at best.

They “play dirty” when they mislead those considering entering the Race for Life and other events by telling them “this is beating cancer” but not telling them that not a single penny of their entry fee funds any research at all. Worse, they exclude all income from those events, from merchandise, from high street stores, from the figure they cite for percentage of income funding research. Misleading at best.

They “play dirty” when they pay themselves huge salaries, all of which need to be paid before a single penny of funds raised go to research. Their top five earners being paid over £1 million between them and 219 earning over £60,000 a year. More corporate greed that charitable act.

They “play dirty” when they support the CV of former Head of Events Jill MacRae who falsely claimed to be the creator of the Race for Life, possibly supporting fraud given a CV is used in order to make financial gain.

They play dirty when they accept awards and recognition for themselves, when they give recognition and awards to their own yet hypocritically deny recognition to the man who created their biggest fundraising event.

They play dirty when they claim never to have heard of the man who created the Race for Life when a different charity asks about him to verify his CV thus costing him a job offer.

Yes Cancer Research UK, when you claim you ‘play dirty’ it may be the most (only?) honest claim you have made in months, if not years.

Unethical. hypocritical, dishonest, lacking transparency or integrity. Yes, Cancer Research UK definitely ‘play dirty’ – just not in the way they want you to think.

In the Race 4 Truth, Cancer Research UK are lagging behind.

CANCER RESEARCH UK DONATIONS SUPPORTING FAT CAT SALARIES

We have exposed the lack of transparency Cancer Research UK has when it comes to where your donations go on numerous occasions. We have exposed the creative exclusion  of certain income streams which give the impression that a higher percentage of funds raised support research than actually do. We exposed possible fraud, misinformation, hypocrisy, and more. Now, we turn our attention to how much of the money the public give to CRUK funds not research, but fat cat salaries. You may be surprised.

The Chief Executive’s salary alone (£240,000 + benefits) requires 18,000 people supporting CRUK’s “donate just £2 a month appeal” for twelve months each after ‘on-costs’ are applied.

Using that same calculation, how many people donating “just £2 per month” does it take to pay CRUK’s top earners?

Starting at the very top, CRUK’s top five earners receive over £1 million between them each year. Yes, you read that correctly. Over £1 million.

According to the 10 Percent Campaign, a further 219 CRUK employees earn over £60,000 per annum. This is up from 160 in 2013 and second only to Save The Children, and three times more than the next highest.

Let’s be kind to CRUK and assume that those 219 earn £60,000 and not more (as is likely), meaning our calculation will be on the low side. That is still a whopping £13,140,000 every year, without on costs.

Let’s add the top five earners £1 million and then calculate on costs to understand how much CRUK needs to raise just to fund these positions BEFORE it funds any other jobs, offices, marketing……..oh yes, and research.

The figure is a mind boggling £24,745,000. Yes, you read that correctly, nearly £25 million, and remember our calculation is on the LOW side. Paying that amount would require over 1 million people to donate “just £2 a month’ for the full year. One million. Just to pay their top salary earners.

And these 224 employees make up less than 6% of CRUK’s total workforce of 3964. Again, yes, you read that correctly. Nearly 4000 people need paying, 224 at mind boggling rates, before a single penny funds the research you thought you were supporting.

And then, the cost of making that “just £2 a month” commercial, CRUK’s other slick marketing, office costs, a legal team the size of which would make many corporates blush, and more, and much more, also come before any research is funded.

When you donate your hard earned money, it is worth considering what you are supporting. Is it research into cancer or a large, slick machine, which misleads, misrepresents, and which acts both hypocritically and unethically, lying about the origins of its own largest fundraising event (the Race for Life).

Is there an alternative? Yes. Choose a different charity which funds and supports research into cancer such as The Institute of Cancer Research, Worldwide Cancer Research, or World Cancer Research Fund

In the Race 4 Truth, Cancer Research UK are lagging behind.

Notes:

Figures are for 2016 salaries.

On-costs calculated using www.icalculator.info

HOW MUCH OF THE MONEY RAISED BY RACE FOR LIFE PARTICIPANTS FUNDS RESEARCH INTO CANCER?

There is a subtle but important difference between funding Cancer Research UK and funding research into cancer. The former funds high earning executives, highly paid management, multiple expensive offices, and more. The latter does as it says and funds research into cancer.

And two months after we raised the question of how much of the funds raised via sponsorship of runners taking part in the Race for Life goes directly to fund research in cancer, and despite our prompting them for a reply several times, we still await a response.

The absence of any confirmation does not surprise us though. Cancer Research UK have form for not saying things, phrasing things cleverly, and sometimes simply inaccurate stories, in order to create a misleading impression of their events and where money raised through those events goes.

It is a fact that they have spent the best part of a quarter of a century spinning a range of different yarns as to who created the Race for Life and denying any recognition to the person who actually did.

Having been called out on these tales, they now take an official, and hypocritical, line of “not recognising anyone.” And why tell the truth when simply missing it out fits your agenda better?

For example, why tell people that none of their Race for Life entry fee funds research into cancer? Far better not to mention it at all and leave people with the impression it does through statements such as, “this is beating cancer.” How the entry fee “is beating cancer’ is anyone’s guess when none of it goes to any research. But let’s not tell anyone.

And then, rather than the (deliberate?) omissions, look out also for the cleverly phrased statements, such as the one we are seeking clarification on (so far, without success). The Race for Life website states that sponsorship raised goes to Cancer Research UK leading to questions as to what percentage actually finds its way to funding any research?

For there is a fundamental difference between going to Cancer Research UK and its high earning executives, its expensive central London and regional offices, etc., and actually funding research.

What percentage of the sponsorship, raised and donated in good faith, actually funds research?

In the absence of any reply, study Cancer Research UK’s form and draw your own conclusions.

In the Race 4 Truth, Cancer Research UK are lagging behind.

CANCER RESEARCH UK ACTIONS RISK UNDERMINING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE AND TRUST IN ALL CHARITIES

Following a series of high profile scandals, confidence and trust in the UK’s charity sector recently hit an all time low. You might think that would be a wake up call to the sector but at Cancer Research UK the intention appears to be one of deliberately further undermining that public trust and confidence.

Over the last few years there has been a series of scandals among high profile charities, scandals which have left the British public wondering which, if any, charities they can trust with their hard earned money.

From the collapse of Kids Company to food for sex scandals involving Oxfam, Save The Children, the Red Cross and more, to sexual harassment at the Presidents Club, and to wallet busting executive pay packages; barely a month goes by without another charity bringing the ethics of the whole sector into question.

Surely the wise charity would ensure that ethics and integrity were set to high standards and are well managed given this environment? Surely honesty and transparency would be vital? And what of habits of lying by omission, misrepresenting facts, and sheer bare-faced hypocrisy?

You would think so but, as Race 4 Truth has evidenced time and time again, at Cancer Research UK all of these acts are normal practice, part of the culture of the organisation.

And in not addressing that very poor culture, Cancer Research UK risk not only undermining confidence in themselves, but of further eroding public trust and confidence in the whole sector.

The public should be able to expect the very highest ethics, morals and integrity from charities; to be able to trust that the organisations they entrust with their money can be trusted and believed.

If charities like Cancer Research UK cannot get their house in order to provide this then the Charities Commission and government should be playing a far more proactive role in setting (high) standards and ensuring those (high) standards are complied with.

If they do not then the damage to the sector could spread far wider than solely those charities, like Cancer research UK, who display such poor ethics and low integrity, and end up damaging the innocent along with the guilty.

In the Race 4 Truth, Cancer Research UK are lagging behind.

OVER 18000 DONORS NEEDED JUST TO PAY CANCER RESEARCH UK’S CEO

We have probably all seen those television advertisements pleading with you to “donate just £2 a month to cancer research.”

The glossy productions tug at the heartstrings and surely only the hardest of hearts would not be moved to being at least tempted to sign up?

But, what the glossy advertisements don’t tell you is that Cancer Research UK need over 18,000 to sign up to donate “just £2 a month” for a year solely to cover the cost of their Chief Executive, one of, if not the, most expensive in the sector.*

And that is without including the cost of making the commercial and of buying the prime time advertising slots!

Please, make sure that when you donate your hard earned money, it is more likely to be used for research into cancer than to pay the grossly inflated salaries at a charity which lies about the origins of its own largest fundraising event (the Race for Life).

How? Choose a different charity which funds and supports research into cancer such as The Institute of Cancer Research, Worldwide Cancer Research, or World Cancer Research Fund

*On-costs calculated using https://goodcalculators.com/true-cost-of-an-employee-calculator/