Should the CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Earn a Salary of $531,924 a Year?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5857310/should_the_ceo_of_susan_g_komen_for.html?cat=48

Is it Fair for Hala G. Moddelmog to Make Over Half a Million Dollars a Year?
Since it's inception in 1982, the Susan G. Komen For the Cure has raised over a billion dollars towards breast cancer research. Nancy G. Brinker made a promise to her terminally ill
sister (Susan Komen) that she would try to end breast cancer forever. That promise began the cancer charity. It is the largest non-profit foundation in the world to end breast cancer.

Every year, thousands of American women participate in fund-raising events such as "Race for the Cure." Many donate money and some solicit contributions from others. Thousands of college students and low-income women participate. Some do it just for fun and some want to help end breast cancer.

Their donations go to help pay for the salaries of research scientists to find a cure for breast cancer. They also help pay for mammograms and breast cancer awareness and education. And, many, many of those $20 donations fund the salary of the CEO, Hala G. Moddelmog. According to charitynavigator.org, she earns $531,924 a year.

Is it fair? Is it necessary? Is it appropriate?

Many would argue yes.

After all, if Mrs. Moddelmog were the CEO of a for-profit business, she would be making millions. For example, Sharon Turney, the CEO of Victoria's Secret earns almost 8 million a year. Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle earns $84.5 million a year and Ray Elliot, the CEO of Boston Scientific (medical supplies company) makes a salary of $33.4 million a year.

Also, many people believe that Moddellmog deserves the salary because of the breast cancer awareness the organization has brought to our society.

However, as a former social worker, a person who gives to charity, and someone who is concerned with the exploitation of cancer victims, I would have to say "no", the salary is not fair.

American oncologists, the doctors who treat breast cancer, earn about $134,257 to $259,404 a year. That means that the Susan G. Komen CEO earns more than the doctors who treat the breast cancer.

Susan G. Komen for the cure is headquartered in Dallas. I think a reasonable salary for the CEO would be about $155,000 a year. That is still enough to live in a very nice home in Dallas, take luxurious vacations and
get a weekly massage. And, that is more than many doctors, teachers, firefighters and nurses make.

If Mrs. Moddelmog earned an appropriate salary at $155,000, there would be about $376,924 dollars leftover. That money could pay for hundreds of mammograms, and of course go towards research. Perhaps, that extra amount of money would be just the funds necessary to cover a new treatment study. And, perhaps, just perhaps, the extra funding would put the world closer to a cure for breast cancer.

I do not agree with the argument that Mrs. Moddelmog should receive a high salary because for-profit CEO's earn much higher salaries. Two wrongs don't make a right. (I also don't agree that CEO's should be making millions, when employees are making poverty level pay.)

In conclusion I do not think that a salary of $531,924 for the CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is fair. It is not appropriate, necessary, or needed.

If I were Mrs. Moddelmog, I would feel incredibly guilty for accepting such a high salary. I would have to wonder how many minimum wage working moms ran the race for the cure to help supplement my salary. I would have to wonder how many more women could be helped if I were paid a more modest salary.

Sadly, the Susan G. Komen for the cure is not the only charity that overpays their CEOs. Read "Charity CEOs that Earn Over a Million Dollars a Year" for more insight. You also might take a look at "Charity CEO Salaries: Jobs that Pay Over $500,000 a Year" and "Salaries of Charity Executives: Jobs that Earn More than 400,000 a Year."

If you are searching for advice on charity giving, please read, "Which Charity Should I Donate To?"

SOURCES:

www.charitynavigator.org
www.payscale.com
http://people.forbes.com/profile/sharen-j-turney/49449
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/news/1004/gallery.top_ceo_pay/2.html

Good post. Ugghhh...I'm going to go out on a limb here, and I suppose (somewhat) be the bad/skeptical gal here. I struggle constantly (and it doesn't matter if it's breast, colon, ovarian, testicular...you name it) to conjure up the moxie to support any permutation/combination of cancer foundations' drive to cure whatever they are endorsing. I've seen a number of family members die horrible deaths from cancer, and to me...I think....how can we NOT ALREADY have some kind of cure for this awful disease. As to CEO Susan G. Komen reaping $531,924/yr....this to me, is blood money. This salary speaks nothing to saving lives, and everything to do with making ONE life rich...off the sweat and backs of grieving family members. This cancer marketing gig, has become all about money, and not about lives. They have figured out, that magnetic pink ribbons on cars has a huge following. To me...they are packaging a disease and making it sexy. This is wrong, and drug companies are making profits on suffering at exponential rates. Somebody, somewhere has a cure to cancer, but because it could bring down corporations, it's kept under wraps. Though my hunch is uneducated, it's still intuition.

I agree, I have wondered for a long time why with all the money donated to cancer why a cure has not been found. then I ponder it somemore and realize that it would put drug companies out of business,if anyone on here has a clue what a chemo treatment costs they would be shocked

I have quit donating to the cancer foundation,they started calling me on a regular basis just after my husband died from cancer,

I am with you on why hasn't a cure been found. Twenty years ago my step-Father died from cancer and I remember at the time how they kept lining their pockets by cashing in on people's desire to see a cure be found. I was only a teenager at the time but I know even back then there was a lot of progress in finding cures for the various kinds of cancer.

I believe there are cures but most people won't go this route and the government and pharmaceuticals won't share this information...a few years ago my Auntie was really sick with leukemia and she sought out a well known medicine man and they worked together for months and I am happy to tell you that today she is alive and healthy. He saved her life, he was a good man but he also had pharmaceuticals bearing down on him because he is hurting their industry. I don't know where he is nowadays but his number is one that I def want in my little black book.

As for a CEO making that amount of money, I agree with K-Flash it is blood money and not acceptable in my opinion.

I agree, it's blood money. How can someone sleep at night, accepting that high of a salary while there are people out there dying. By now for a lot the cancers you see today, there should be cures for them, but I also like others agree that this is something that the government and drug companies don't want you to know.

Kewl, you don't have you answer this if you don't want to. Is your family native american? Reason I ask, is my mom's parents are and I remember as a kid going to visit my great grandfather who's really good friend was a medicine man. They are amazing.

BigBrownEyes29 wrote:

Kewl, you don't have you answer this if you don't want to. Is your family native american? Reason I ask, is my mom's parents are and I remember as a kid going to visit my great grandfather who's really good friend was a medicine man. They are amazing.

Yes I am Native American (Mohawk). I have great respect for traditional ways and medicines. As one of the Elder's in my community has shared with me..."we have all of the cures/medicines that we need in our plants and animals." I believe...

K-Flash wrote:

Somebody, somewhere has a cure to cancer, but because it could bring down corporations, it's kept under wraps. Though my hunch is uneducated, it's still intuition.

Alright i've never took the time to think about this before and once I close this topic doubt i'll ever think about it again unless i remember to check back here But...

While there isn't a "cure", There are treatments for cancer that do save lives that have been found over the years of the research as well as early screening, Its not a forsure thing and ya it doesnt work for everyone But I personally doubt there will ever really be an actually cure for it, The common cold has been around forever and always will be and so will cancers, aids ect.

Maybe if the world never changed (environment, diets ect) then maybe treatments of cancers would be easier to tackle but seeing things cant stay the same unless people are willing to live in a bubble i'm thinking its most likely as good as its going to get, but hopefully people still keep trying to cure all diseases because you just never know.

As for the money she makes.. No she shouldn't nobody should make that much a year unless its me!