Invisible Children Group Defends Itself in New Video: Not a ‘Slacktivist Thing’
- Posted on March 13, 2012 at 12:57pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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Last week, I offered detailed observations of the criticism surrounding Invisible Children, the group behind the viral “Kony 2012” video that has ignited a firestorm on the Internet. Now the group is back with another video responding to that criticism. But just like last time, not everyone’s convinced.
“I understand why a lot of people are wondering, `Is this just some slick, kind of fly-by-night, slacktivist thing?‘ when actually it’s not at all,” said Ben Keesey of Invisible Children. “It’s connected to a really deep, thoughtful, very intentional and strategic campaign.”
In an online video that runs more than eight minutes, Keesey acknowledges the sting of criticism since Invisible Children released the initial video last week, which garnered nearly 75 million views on YouTube alone.
Thank you, KONY 2012 Supporters from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
The group has been criticized for, among other things, not spending enough directly on the people it intends to help and for oversimplifying the 26-year-old conflict involving the Lord’s Resistance Army and its leader, Kony, a bush fighter wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Keesey, 28, said “program expenses” – money that directly benefits their cause – accounted for 80.5 percent to 85.7 percent of total annual spending from fiscal 2007 to 2011. Overhead expenses grew last year largely due to a $330,000 private foundation grant that was designated specifically for operations.
“This is actually a really good thing to help Invisible Children continue to be more efficient and to increase the quality of our work for years in the future,” he said.
Keesey said travel and transportation expenses – which totaled more than $1 million last year – includes costs for 3,000 free movie screenings a year to spread the word about Kony and the LRA.
“Some people have characterized that and said, ‘Is that just the management team flying around and staying in nice hotels. No, not at all. That’s totally not true,” he said.
Production costs -more than $850,000 last year – have been another target for critics. Keesey said those costs are for items like T-shirts, DVDs and bracelets “that fund all of our work.”
Invisible Children reported revenues of $13.8 million last year – aided by a $2 million contribution from The Oprah Winfrey Foundation – up from $8.3 million a year earlier, according to its Internal Revenue Service filing. Expenses grew to $8.9 million from $8.1 million, yielding a surplus of $4.9 million.
But not everyone is satisfied with the new video. Foxnews.com pointed to criticism from the Better Business Bureau, for example:
But even as Invisible Children was defending itself, the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, which reviews charities based on donor requests, said the organization has not been forthcoming with documents it requested.
The BBB claimed in a press release on Monday that they had sent 18 letters to the nonprofit group since 2006, and expressed concern that two of the six board members are on the staff and what they see as a lack of transparency for a charity.
Additionally, the site Visible Children, which was created to be critical of the organization, points to an interview given by Jedidiah Jenkins, Invisible Children’s director of ideology, that breaks down some of the company’s money distribution:
GOOD: One of the criticisms people have of Invisible Children is that you only donate 31 percent of your money to the people of Uganda. What’s your response to that?
JENKINS: One flaw of the internet is how quickly it can disseminate misinformation. The actual number is 37 percent. Thirty-seven percent of our budget goes directly to central African-related programs, about 20 percent goes to salaries and overhead, and the remaining 43 percent goes to our awareness programs. Those include things like flying Ugandans to America to go on cross-country awareness tours we pay for. And our staff in America has to go to Uganda, too. We got criticized for spending $1 million on travel expenses, but getting 130 people around the country and around the world is expensive. But aside from that, the truth about Invisible Children is that we are not an aid organization, and we don’t intend to be. I think people think we’re over there delivering shoes or food. But we are an advocacy and awareness organization. [Emphasis added]
“Yes, you heard it from Invisible Children,” Visible Children scoff, “more money goes to awareness than to Africa.”
Once again, it’s a tough issue with plenty of gray.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Blazer320
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 12:46pmWow Did anyone even watch this? Did you all not see the hidden messaging? Please let me quote some lines “Do you here my words” “Do you know what I mean” “ We are going to stop them” “We are living in a new world” Glenn is absolutley correct only its Bandler system being used. Did anyone notice the typewritten letter from Obama? The second p is filled in drawing the eye to read “appreciate Barrak Obama”. Anyone notice the multiple “obey” words just prior to Obamas picture. I watched the first time and actually saw the word “obey” with his picture. Please keep your kids away from this.
Report Post »grannyrecipe
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 8:18amWhy not just post a 3 million dollar reward in Africa/ Then you wouldn’t need all of the other expenses and hullabaloo. Them pirate dudes would be in on that in a second.
Report Post »Spencer.K.Shannon
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 10:21pmI’ve watched the video and at first I was compelled to do the same thing as MANY other people. But then I had the thought come to me…75 million views in just under a week? WHAT? Then I did the research.
— KONY HASNT BEEN IN UGANDA FOR 6 YEARS!
—U.S. Military officials even questioned if he was dead or not.
—This guy even said that they make movies to hit emotionally. and that’s all they do is JUST contact others emotionally to get money.
— “All thoughs resources that are given to us is given to the cause.” Well Bull crap. %30 helps the actual people in need. The other goes to managing costs and filling the pockets of the people who stand behind this.
— This guy is a liar. There only audited from the inside. There working hard against being audited from the outside. “Transparency”? Yeah. Bull.
— ANONYMOUS SUPPORTS THEM.
These are the same exact people who are trying to “OCCUPY.” wallstreet. You and the rest of %99 can actually help America and not brainwash our youth.
Report Post »Texan Man
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 9:32pmI honestly believe the man who started this was sincere in his efforts. I applaud him for getting his message out in a manner that has gained so much attention. People are aware. I am sure he never imagined he would be involved in a multi-million dollar movement. I pray for those children and I pray the man who started this movement is able to maintain his soul with all that money.
Report Post »MyAgendaIsTruth
Posted on March 17, 2012 at 10:07amAll charity watch sites rate this scam KONY2012 BAD!!! Now the founder does this— he is a freak and scam artist.
THE FOUNDER ARRESTED IN SAN DIEGO ON FRIDAY RUNNING THROUGH THE STREETS NAKED AND MASTURBATING. YEAH HE IS A GOOD PERSON.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/scandals-dog-kony-2012-graffiti-appears-in-texas-originator-arrested-for-lewd-acts/
I bet they are stealing millions from the 13 million last year and who knows how much since this stupid video went viral. It’s 9 years old. This is hurting the people they are claiming to help. We already have troop there and have been secretly negotiating already now this screws that all up.
Report Post »EndTheGOPTEA
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 9:17pmKony has been Dead since 2006.. How dumb people are.
Report Post »The Kony2012 Day as April 20th!! 420!!! Get it… YouTube.. Proving 50 million people can be idiots.
Bwbarrnone
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 8:30pmI’ve been sitting on the fence since a pro communist told explained the whole #kony2012 bit. The more I thought about it, the more I understood and linked it to the book 1984. I cannot believe how under-educated our society has become and how wrapped up they are welling to be. This is pure 1984…
~Let’s all just stop, look and smell the roses.
~Question with boldness.
~Seek and understand the truth
~Muster up Faith
~Strive to know what we shall understand to be right and hold the truth to what is evident.
~Continue to lead when we feel as if we can’t
“Hold on for one more day, for even Moses was a basket case every once and awhile”.
Muster up that faith and stand firm, it’s going to get bumpy and if you are not ready you will not know what hit you.
One last thing “If clarity is what you are asking for, let go and just trust” Mother Teresa
Report Post »Truthbeliever2
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 4:13pmI’m hungry!!! My family is hungry!!!
I know some people down the road who are hungry!!!
I saw a homeless person the other day who was hungry!!!
My dog is hungry!!!
The world is hungry!!!
Please send all of your available cash to me and I will make sure all who deserve get what they need.
WOW!!! Now I’m a hero, a legend, a doer of good.
YEA!!!, RIGHT!!!
Report Post »Russell in TC
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 4:13pmJust take the $4.9 million, hire some ex-navy seals and take this Kony guy out. Problem solved. Ok, ok ok….capture him I mean.
Report Post »Lech Dharma
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 6:56pmIf nothing else, everyone should learn about the effectiveness of using social media and youTube as part of a well-planned campaign to get millions of people talking about an issue. I also agree that the most effective and economical way to quickly and quietly deal with a monster like Joseph Kony would be a “black ops” mission to terminate his command. Let the chips fall where they may, afterwards.
Report Post »It really doesn’t matter how “complicated” the political conflict is in Uganda, and the US wouldn’t have to officially get involved.
Truthbeliever2
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 3:50pmI don’t pay attention to any of that bleeding heart, look at the poor starving person over across the world that you would never hear anything about otherwise ********! Things are bad all over the world and unless your one of those looking for world communism this kind of bleeding heart propaganda is a sad, and sickening attempt to steal your cash.
The real criminals are the people who collect the money for these organizations. They are bloodsuckers that rate right up there with fleas and ticks.
Report Post »Kaoscontrol
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 3:00pmAnd if the mission is accomplished– Kony is killed and/or brought to justice, will Invisible Children shut down since the problem is solved? I doubt it. Too many incomes depend on keeping the problem alive. Like so many politicians, these guys don’t SOLVE the problems, they LIVE on them.
Report Post »million
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 2:57pmTheres always two sides to every story. Somebody must be stretching the truth. You can make up your own mind, but as for me I shall not be sending any money to these people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DO73Ese25Y&list=LLp8f-En1iC35M4LMnPGUbeQ&index=2&feature=plpp_video
Report Post »Hill60
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 2:34pmI don’t know what to make of this group. They have a variety of websites, and I’m trying to find information that I came across last week, but can’t seem to find it now. On one of their sites, they admitted that about 50% of donations made it to Uganda. That same site claimed that Schools 4 Schools program had nearly 90% of the money raised going to Uganda – only on a different Invisible Children website I find that Schools 4 Schools is no longer operational. This week they’re claiming nearly 80%, and Mr. Jenkins is claiming 37%.
My teenage daughter was swept up in this campaign – I encouraged her to look into programs/charities where most of the money donated makes it to those in need – not to “create awareness” and fund traveling and promotion.
Report Post »treas54
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 7:34pmI am worried about this too. I have read some reports that Kony hasn’t been around for over 6 years.
Report Post »That he isn’t the one doing this that the Brits are looking to colonize again and they themselves have done the ethnic cleansing to take over the land for their carbon offset dealings. They’re involved with the global economy and climate change schemes using this as whitewash.
Tell your daughter to be very careful. It makes me sick that Oprah gets involved and duped so easily. She leads the rest of the lemmings off the cliff.
koromir
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 2:13pmPeople complain that I refuse to support this charity. I am hoping that now they see why
Report Post »stealthyk9
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 2:03pmInvisible Children is nothing but a propaganda firm that raises “donations” to produce more propaganda; look at some of their IRS tax filings. Worse yet, they are going to use American children on April 20 for their nationwide “Kony 2012” propaganda event to generate more “donations”; they are also marketing & selling kits for this event.
Report Post »Cali-expat
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 4:06pmThats stage one. Shortly after the demonstration they will claim success in driving kony out of Uganda and reducing his army. This will give all the supporters a euphoria about collective thought. At this point the charity will try to capitalize on this by claiming that a collective thought is how change happens. At that point they will try to assimilate as many as these indiviuals into the OWS movement.
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:26pmWhat about the black children in the ghettos of our country who are getting butchered everyday by their cousins, brothers and schoolmates? No concern there…no money in it I suppose…This ‘Help the Dark Continent’ thing went out of style with Live Aid back in the 80′s for crying out loud…turned out Bob Geldorff, who ran that thing, robbed the organization blind as well…this whole thing is bs..Lets see the Hollywood weirdos go to Newark, Camden, Watts, etc..charity begins out home…
Report Post »SoupSandwich
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:59pmShhh. Those are future slacktivists for the regime-the ones that survive anyway. Seriously, where is Black Liberation Theology and the Nation of islam at on that? Little in the way of donations and the need for victims precludes any real world fixes.
Report Post »Eric_The_Red_State
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:24pmAmerica should have a group of people that go around and try to make bad things good.
They should be mad about the state of affairs that the government is in…
They should be patriotic….
They should be ….. Oh I don’t know…… honest and sincere ….
Let’s call them….. the TEA PARTY !!!
Good plan – wish I’d a thought of it.
Report Post »chameleonx
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:19pmEver since this video was released on YouTube I have not seen anyone I know support this campaign. You can see from the responses that this is a sham. Even though I can agree many people (White guilt teens and young adults) that helping people is great; learn everything you can before you buy into their campaign.
Report Post »SoupSandwich
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:51pmAll that and support your local Salvation Army-local and all.
Report Post »annathule
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:04amHow about the supposed “white guilt kids & teens” that are BLACK?? Like my granddaughter, who I am VERY proud that she has chosen a decent charity that wants to expose what’s ugly in the world, by flipping over the rocks & showing us the foul insects & slugs that live underneath them. I have an ADULT friend who worked w/ the larger organization for years, volunteer of course. I‘ll take HER word about what goes on before I’ll take a bunch of other‘s folk’s uninformed statements.
Oh & while you’re at it, STOP GIVING TO RED CROSS!!! One cent, ONE CENT!, goes to the ppl they (supposedly) help. They make a big show, but what does that show cost? ONE RED CENT of every dollar goes to the helpless, storm-wracked & devastated OF OUR OWN COUNTRY!! That stops at the borders, doesn’t it? Think about that, next time you make a fuss over 37%.
TEXAS.7 is correct about the charities he mentions, absolutely “on the money” as it were, so yeah, you can do stuff for other countries, But if my granddaughter wants to help, more power to her. Why should I teach her “shades of grey” before she learns them all too soon? Heck, me & my friends did a hunger strike for the Native Americans who took over Alcatraz Island – how many of you remember that? If we had had FB maybe WE could have started a movement and changed actual, real live history! As it was, all we did was puzzle our parents. It didn’t do a dang thing, but we felt so good about ourselves trying to change the world! More
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:18pm.
Report Post »Africa is a Black Hole that Sucks money faster than hmmm? Well I can’t think of a thing that sucks money that fast, Except maybe Obama at a Fund Raiser…….
NanNJ
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:08pmTrying to explain the details of this charity to the young idealists of the world is a tough one. I have a teenager who is totally into this, not wanting to discourage her from helping those in need and explaining how these guys are living the high life off of this charity, (there is no doubt in my mind they are) is a daunting task. The really scary part for me is how quickly over the last few weeks, all these dipsy doodle kids were able to contact each other, organize meetings and get together. Let us hope it is always for a good cause.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:17pmHave her write a paper upon the… meaning of Sovereignty!
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 2:22pmWhy don’t you have her work for you , pay her , and then take the money back giving her 37%, put 20% in house bills and donate 40% to you and your husband to going out to dinner . All on front of her , so that she sees the Theft. But make sure she pays the FEDERAL Gov Taxes out of her 37%.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:03pmMy Empathy… ends at the US Boarder!
Report Post »Texas.7
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:26pmOur lack of empathy for the Jews made us and many nations slow to come to their aid in the face of great evil- and when we finally stood up (only after Japan bombed Pearl Harbour), we could not believe the level of horror we had allowed to develop.
While I agree that we get into too many conflicts, for reasons we don’t even understand, with outcomes that make no sense- I don’t think we should forget those with little voices crying out for help.
Of course, I don’t know if we understand the whole dynamics that are playing out simply based off the video circulating, but we have sat back and allowed too many tyrants commit mass murder around the world. My problem is that we often don’t know which side we are on, or are playing both sides. Further, situations change, as we see in Afghanistan, where our original intentions have been lost since the political dynamics of the nation have changed. Do we really know what it is all about any more?
If a single man can be isolated as the purveyor of death and abuse to large groups of people, maybe we should draw up reasonable rationale for removing the perpetrator, without actually going to war. I certainly don’t have the answers, and don’t want more violence, but my empathy for the persecuted, tortured and killed around the world is strong. I don’t have all the answers, but we can’t become cold. But, as a parent on a flight, we need to save our own nation, so we can aid the helpless.
Report Post »dutchy
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 2:09pma very narrow minded thing to say. Jesus loves all of his creation!
Report Post »Truthbeliever2
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 4:04pmMy vote is with you Luke. My empathy ends at the border as well.
These others are just SOOOOO GOOOOOOD!
Which is exactly why our country has fallen into ruin. To much emphasis on SAVING THE WORLD, rather than, lets fix the problems we have here before trying to take over the world with those holier than thou ideas of one world order.
Report Post »SoupSandwich
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:02pm“Bush fighter”… Isn’t the LGBLT going to take offense at that?
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:02pmWhenever I am asked to support any group that claims to be “raising awareness,” I always run the other way.
Report Post »littlefish
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:15pmI wish to raise awareness to the fact that I do not have a million dollars . . .
Report Post »Please send a Million dollars
Texas.7
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:46pmI agree! I like charities that have feet on the ground, with aid and the message of hope that everyone needs. Many good ones are drilling wells, training job skills, providing food and education to kids, and so forth. I also like charities that train local pastors who can connect with the people in ways a westerner isn’t able to do.
I also like charities with 80% to 100% of donations reaching the people in need. Some good ones are Food for the Hungry (89.5% income goes to program, remainder to overhead and marketing), Gospel for Asia (82.3% funds program), Samaritan’s Purse (80.3%) and many other.
If anyone wants to check out a specific organisation for accountability:
Report Post »http://www.ecfa.org/MemberSearch.aspx