Correction: Since then, it has been clarified that Jason Russell was not arrested, but rather detained. There are no charges pending against him.
Healthy skepticism never hurt anyone. In fact, doing your own research before committing to anything is an excellent idea, which is why the nonprofit organization Invisible Children didn’t shy away from criticism two weeks ago after they launched their Kony 2012 campaign. However, the criticism concerning the organization is about to get a lot worse.
Among some of the initial criticisms surrounding the Kony 2012 campaign was where the money donated was being delegated. Because nonprofits are required to disclose how they spend their money, people dived right into the finances of Invisible Children and found out that only around 30 percent of the donations actually go to Uganda. The majority of the money went toward their awareness campaign including filming, travel expenses, etc. While this information is still of concern to critics, Invisible Children is scrambling to justify another reputation wringer: the alleged arrest of co-founder Jason Russell.
Last week, Jason Russell was detained in San Diego for being drunk in public, lewd behavior, and vandalism. As if the organization wasn’t already under scrutiny, this stunt has changed the game from answering public concern to damage control.
Russell has been the face of the entire campaign, which is why his wild behavior put Invisible Children in a tough spot. The man has lived his whole life trying to bring change to Africa, and in two weeks he tarnished his reputation. The CEO of Invisible Children, Ben Keesey, issued an official statement:
Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition. He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday. Jason’s passion and his work have done so much to help so many, and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal health issue. We will always love and support Jason, and we ask that you give his entire family privacy during this difficult time.
The prime purpose of Invisible Children has been to create awareness for Joseph Kony and his crimes against humanity. You can learn more about the campaign here. Now, Invisible Children has to divide their efforts between pushing the Kony campaign forward and preserving their image.
What Invisible Children needs now more than ever is a solid PR strategy to help them with this unpredictable storm. Of course the organization couldn’t precisely prepare for this kind of behavior, which is why a PR strategy is essential. Considering the entire campaign is online, the best approach at this point is implementing online PR strong enough to smooth this over.
What do you think of this entire scenario? Can anyone argue “there is no such thing as bad publicity”?
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Seriously?! When the big KONY 2012 stunt began, I was super skeptical. I am really starting to question where the money goes when you donate to a non profit. So, basically, my donation goes to line pockets, print posters, and film movies? Sounds great! Sign me up!
The crazy thing was- these people actually did a FANTASTIC job promoting their cause and getting people involved. To date, it is the most-viral YouTube, ever. Although a little (or a lot) of negative exposure will help keep them honest, I think this was ridiculous. People are stupid. Really, really stupid. I think they will need a LOT of PR to fix this issue, and the momentum will slow down- maybe even stop altogether.
It’s really unfortunate that a good cause is being overshadowed by his lunacy.
I think it’s clear that PR efforts are already in place when the CEO uses the term “dehydration” verses “drunk.” But I think we all can agree the organization will need a lot more damage control than that.
Nonprofits are required by law to publicly publish their financial statements, preferably on their website. It still amazes me how many do not. Those statements should make it absolutely clear how much money goes to advertising and how much goes to their cause.
A good rule of thumb is that any nonprofit that is too visible is probably spending too little on their charitable purpose. One exception is United Way: their whole purpose is to raise funds for other nonprofits, so their advertising makes sense.
A lot of people say that bad publicity is better then no publicity. Yes it can get your name out there, but is it bringing in publicity to build your reputation in a positive way? If it brings down your name or company so no one wants to have association with you, then that is where the argument lies of whether bad publicity is good or not.
Jason is bringing the reputation of Invisible Children down, no doubt about it. I definitely will be watching to see how this unfolds.
I was skeptical from the first, as well. Even if everything was legit, how sad for the man who said he had the vision to torpedo his own ship after it had gained so much speed and momentum.
We all want non-profits who actually do NOT profit from causes that matter, and the people who actually care about them.
That’s strange that you say he was arrested for being drunk, where I watched a few news reports say that he wasn’t even arrested, but just taken to the hospital – and no charges were brought against him because he wasn’t drunk and they felt that the problem was something medical (hence why he was taken to the psych ward). Funny how news twists facts. Who knows – maybe he really was drunk and arrested like you guys say.
Thanks for the update, Michelle!
I was brushing up on the latest concerning this and it looks like he was detained for indecent exposure, and taken to a facility for mental evaluation. Word on the street he wasn’t intoxicated either.
Looks like they will need PR to help spread the truth.
Jason will hurt the reputation of Invisible Children as Richard Quest did to CNN…oh, wait, the double standard of a non profit versus a for profit…
1. Jason was not arrested, he was detained and taken to a hospital. He was not drunk, and he was not vandalizing anything. He had a mental breakdown, it was not criminal, or characteristic of himself at all. Jason has dedicated 9 years of his life to better the world, and end the LRA violence. Who are we to judge a man who has given his entire adult life to make the world a better place, just because he is broken?
2. It’s 37%, not 30. They are not (nor have they ever claimed to be) an aid organization. They are an advocacy and awareness organization. The other percentage of the money goes towards their national tours, where they tour the films that they make (this is number 11, but for some reason, the world took notice). Without their tours, the young people of the world would have never known any of this was happening. They have given so many young people, including myself, a voice in the world. Invisible Children has made a HUGE and positive difference in world, I only wish you would do your research before throwing “facts” out there.
3. Invisible Children has a PR firm that is handling the press.
Thanks for your input, Mary!
I actually added a correction at the top clarifying the arrest verse his detainment yesterday. And you will notice I said “around 30 percent.” Perhaps around 40 percent would be more fitting, I agree.
The question is- what really happened? There are have been a number of conflicting media reports- and many of these reports did mention alcohol, vandalism and worse. Also, if it was only a mental breakdown, doesn’t this still give you pause? He is the face of the company and the leader of the organization. A mental breakdown is still alarming and needs considerable PR.
Mary, I agree with one of your points. This organization has been able to inspire young people to give. This was a very effective social media campaign. I would love to see a case study written on this campaign.
I came here hunting something else, but this enlightened me regardless. Inspiring stuff!