Susan G. Komen is a name most people know and recognize as the symbol for fighting against breast cancer. Beginning in 1982, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is now the largest organization dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer. Nearly $2 billion has been invested in the thirty years since its conception.
The organization has been funded privately and publicly from a variety of sources. But one source was recently turned down. Why? The donation offer came from a pornographic website attempting to donate part of its proceeds to the cause.
This brings up an important morality issue when it comes to non-profit organizations and their funding. Is it okay to accept money from a source some would label as questionable? The line between what’s acceptable and not acceptable becomes a bit blurry here.
A new non-profit organization, Come4.org is challenging the idea that porn and charity can’t mix. Based in Italy, the new organization is planning to use crowd-sourced porn to generate revenue to be re-invested in charitable causes. The campaign’s concept is “porn with a heart,” and is attempting to not only be philanthropy-centered, but also challenge the current porn industry.
The site would like to see more artistic value in online pornography, and less macho-ism, violence, and artificiality. They hope to reconnect online visitors with human sexuality instead of offering the one-dimensional perspective that is consistent with porn today. The site also allows users to upload their own “artistic” videos and photographs for free.
Making thousands of dollars per second, the online porn industry could contribute a substantial amount to charity. Come4.org plans to assign each video on its site a specific cause, and then donating revenues to those causes.
So why can’t an industry like porn also be charitable? Some will indubitably be opposed to such an initiative—those who decry porn as immoral, exploitative, or sexist. But still, it offers the chance for public opinion on pornography to change for the better. If the site can successfully create an image of pornography as an artistic expression, it stands to impact the porn industry as a whole and be charitable at the same time.