Controversy over donations runs the risk of making the arts "unfundable". Courtney Goldsmith asks the experts how organisations can make decisions about whose money to accept - and what for.
'In the 18 years from 1999 to 2017, nearly 400,000 people in the US died from opioid overdoses, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2017, the crisis of opioid abuse was so dire that a public emergency was declared. Opioids are highly addictive painkillers, but from the 1990s they were commonly prescribed by doctors in the US. The number of opioid prescriptions handed out peaked in 2012 at 282 million; more than doubling over the course of a decade.
One drug implicated in the crisis is OxyContin, made by Purdue Pharma. Purdue has faced thousands of lawsuits over how it marketed its blockbuster drug, but now the scandal is beginning to envelope the Sacklers – the wealthy family behind the company.
The unwanted spotlight has called into question the family’s philanthropy via the Sackler Trust, and has raised fresh concerns about what constitutes an ethical donation. “Should we align with the ‘ethics of society’ or set our own code?” asked Michelle Wright, Founder and CEO of Cause4, a social enterprise that helps charities raise funds. “And when organisations have values that don’t always align with their employees or audiences – whose view should lead?”' ... Keep reading on EuropeanCEO
'In the 18 years from 1999 to 2017, nearly 400,000 people in the US died from opioid overdoses, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2017, the crisis of opioid abuse was so dire that a public emergency was declared. Opioids are highly addictive painkillers, but from the 1990s they were commonly prescribed by doctors in the US. The number of opioid prescriptions handed out peaked in 2012 at 282 million; more than doubling over the course of a decade.
One drug implicated in the crisis is OxyContin, made by Purdue Pharma. Purdue has faced thousands of lawsuits over how it marketed its blockbuster drug, but now the scandal is beginning to envelope the Sacklers – the wealthy family behind the company.
The unwanted spotlight has called into question the family’s philanthropy via the Sackler Trust, and has raised fresh concerns about what constitutes an ethical donation. “Should we align with the ‘ethics of society’ or set our own code?” asked Michelle Wright, Founder and CEO of Cause4, a social enterprise that helps charities raise funds. “And when organisations have values that don’t always align with their employees or audiences – whose view should lead?”' ... Keep reading on EuropeanCEO