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 pubic 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
Digital Billboard Campaign Throughout Massachusetts Offers Commuters a New Question About Charity
Through a partnership with ClearChannel, we rand 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.
