Thirty minutes, 4 days, 20 million people, Kony 2012.
Since being released on Monday, the “Kony 2012” video has taken social media by storm. Suddenly, newsfeeds were flooded with support for the “invisible children” of Uganda. It felt as if the entire world had united against Kony.
Then, as quickly as support for the movement surfaced, the positive energy quickly turned into pessimism. Accusations of embezzlement and scamming donators surged after reports surfaced that only 32 percent of donations were given directly to aiding African children.
I want people to see that this is a misinterpretation of the facts. It is true that only 32 percent of donations reach the children directly, but the goal of the organization is to spread awareness as well.
The organization receives no government funding because it lobbies legislators in Washington, D.C. It keeps its organization running purely on donations. This means all the salaries, everything for the administration — cost of production, distribution of the materials — comes from donations.
I decided to do my own research. Invisible Children was rated a 4 out of 5 by charitynavigator.com. It is clearly stated that IC spends 80 percent of its revenue on program expenses, which actually is not bad for a charity. According to the entry, the organization spends 16 percent on administrative expenses and about 3 percent on fundraising.
IC has received so much backlash that it issued a response that detailed what exactly its cause is and where its funds go, which you can see on its website.
I praise IC for releasing its financial reports from 2006 all the way to 2011. This organization is not hiding anything from anyone.
If, after you look up all this information, you still decide that IC is not an organization you wish to donate to, then that’s fine! In fact, I commend you for taking your time to do your research and making an educated decision for yourself, but please do not call the organization a scam.
Just because one doesn’t agree with how the money is being spread out does not make it a scam.
The whole point of Kony 2012 was to raise awareness, and, judging from the response that this campaign has generated, I am positive that it has been successful.
In fact, the first line of the video states that this is an experiment. The entire movement shows that the world is more connected now than ever.
The point I am trying to make is instead of bashing an organization that is ultimately trying to do good, do something. No one is forcing you to put your hand in your pocket.
If you don’t feel the cause justifies your money, then indisputably it justifies your voice of support or even just your time.
If you’re too busy to write or call your congressmen or any influential people, then tell your friends, post it online — do something.
Joanna Tricaso is a senior at Ohio University studying communication sciences and disorders and is a sales ad representative for The Post.
