Well finally. People are getting idea that Komen isn't the be-all and end-all for breast cancer. In fact, for years, the Breast Cancer Action folks have been asking people who want to help fund breast cancer actions to “think before you pink” meaning consider carefully how much money from purchases that are allegedly raising money for breast cancer actually goes to breast cancer, as well as consider other circumstances surrounding the donation.

Some questions they have suggested include:

What percentage of money from purchases is contributed to breast cancer? If you don't feel comfortable with the amount (or more commonly, if it isn't listed) it might make sense to contribute directly to an organization, even if it's a small amount.

Is there a maximum amount the corporation will contribute as part of their campaign? If there is, your donation (via buying something) might not contribute anything to the cause if you buy the item after the cap is reached.

Do you have to do anything more to make the contribution happen? That is, do you have to buy something else, either online or otherwise, give personal information such as email and address, fill out a form etc.

What type of organization does the money towards? If the contribution is funding “research” what kind of research is it? Is it research that is already well funded? Is the contribution funds direct care or services, who are the services available to? Is it people most in need.

Finally, and this is a really important one (quoting BCA directly here to make sure the wording is correct “What is the company doing to assure that its products are not actually contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?” For example, BMW donates a dollar for everyone who test drives their vehicles, but car exhaust has been show to be a contributing factor in some types of breast cancer.