Fact Sheet on Cafe Press and Autism Speaks donations

April 8, 2011

http://conta.cc/ggJ6mz

FACT SHEET: CAFE PRESS AND AUTISM SPEAKS

Earlier this week, Cafe Press announced that the company will be donating 10% of

all purchases on products tagged with " Autism " to Autism Speaks. Cafe Press is a

popular online store which allows individuals to sell t-shirts, mugs and other

merchandise with their own designs. Many within the autism and Autistic

communities use this website to sell their designs, including many Autistic

adults who oppose Autism Speaks.

We are appalled by Cafe Press forcing vendors to raise funding for Autism Speaks

against their conscience and the lack of options for those who wish not to

support this organization. Anyone who has ethical problems with Autism Speaks is

now being forced to give money to the organization. With Autism Speaks' blatant

exclusion of Autistic adults on their board of directors and in executive

positions, negative message about Autism, and propagation of stigmas and

stereotypes of Autistic people, there should be a choice.

ASAN has compiled this briefing sheet with contact info for Cafe Press to help

you rally the community to contact Cafe Press and tell them how you feel. With

only 4% of funds raised by Autism Speaks going to services for Autistic

individuals and their families, we should all take a firm stance to tell Cafe

Press that this must end. Please take the time to e-mail and call Cafe Press and

to urge all those you can reach to do the same.

THE ISSUE:

Cafe Press, a popular online store that allows individuals to sell t-shirts,

mugs and other merchandise with their own designs on it, is donating 10% of the

purchase price for all autism-related products to Autism Speaks in the month of

April.

TALKING POINTS:

- Autism Speaks is an organization which fails to include a single Autistic

adult on their board of directors and more than token representation in other

parts of their organization.

- Only 4% of the funds donated to Autism Speaks go to services for individuals

and families.

- Autism Speaks' advertising relies on fear and pity to raise money and results

in increased stigma and stereotypes about Autistic people.

- By automatically donating funds to Autism Speaks on all autism related

purchases, Cafe Press is forcing shopkeepers who have ethical problems with

Autism Speaks to give money to an organization they oppose.

SAMPLE E-MAIL:

Dear Cafe Press:

I'm writing as a customer to express my disappointment with your decision to

donate 10% of all sales of autism-related products to Autism Speaks. Autism

Speaks is not a neutral or non-controversial charity. Many adults on the autism

spectrum and family members have grave concerns about Autism Speaks' operating

practices and fundraising tactics. Autism Speaks fails to include any Autistic

adults on their board of directors or in executive positions. Furthermore, only

4% of the funds donated to Autism Speaks go to services for individuals and

families. Many people who care about autism issues find Autism Speaks'

advertising and fundraising strategies – which rely on fear, pity and spreading

stereotypes about Autistic people – deeply unethical. By forcing your vendors

and customers who sell and buy autism-related products to donate money to an

organization they are morally opposed to, you break the bonds of trust that

connect you with your customer and vendor base. I urge you to reconsider your

donation to Autism Speaks – and I will be withholding my business from Cafe

Press until you do.

Sincerely,

[NAME HERE]

CONTACT INFO FOR CAFE PRESS:

Bob Marino, President: bmarino@...

, CFO: mjohnson@...

Abdul Popal, VP Business/Dev Operations: apopal@...

Amy Maniatis, VP Marketing: amaniatis@...

Sumant Sridharan, Head of Online Acquisitions: ssridharan@...

Kara Parsons, VP Consumer/Retail: kparsons@...

Marc Cowlin, Public Relations Manager: mcowlin@...

Cafe Press PR Department Phone Number:

Please bcc: info@... so we can keep track of the progress of

the campaign and make sure that Cafe Press cannot claim not to have received the

e-mails you or those you contact send.

April 8, 2011

> Earlier this week, Cafe Press announced that the company will be donating

> 10% of all purchases on products tagged with " Autism " to Autism Speaks.

>

So basically, 10% of the proceeds from pro-neurodiversity merchandise is

automatically donated to Aut$pks? People buying anti-Aut$pks merchandise

will have to pay Aut$pks for it? This is *officially* making Aut$pks the

800-pound gorilla from CafePress' perspective...

Not cool. Not cool at all.

>

> http://conta.cc/ggJ6mz

>

> FACT SHEET: CAFE PRESS AND AUTISM SPEAKS

>

> Earlier this week, Cafe Press announced that the company will be donating

> 10% of all purchases on products tagged with " Autism " to Autism Speaks. Cafe

> Press is a popular online store which allows individuals to sell t-shirts,

> mugs and other merchandise with their own designs. Many within the autism

> and Autistic communities use this website to sell their designs, including

> many Autistic adults who oppose Autism Speaks.

>

> We are appalled by Cafe Press forcing vendors to raise funding for Autism

> Speaks against their conscience and the lack of options for those who wish

> not to support this organization. Anyone who has ethical problems with

> Autism Speaks is now being forced to give money to the organization. With

> Autism Speaks' blatant exclusion of Autistic adults on their board of

> directors and in executive positions, negative message about Autism, and

> propagation of stigmas and stereotypes of Autistic people, there should be a

> choice.

>

> ASAN has compiled this briefing sheet with contact info for Cafe Press to

> help you rally the community to contact Cafe Press and tell them how you

> feel. With only 4% of funds raised by Autism Speaks going to services for

> Autistic individuals and their families, we should all take a firm stance to

> tell Cafe Press that this must end. Please take the time to e-mail and call

> Cafe Press and to urge all those you can reach to do the same.

>

> THE ISSUE:

>

> Cafe Press, a popular online store that allows individuals to sell

> t-shirts, mugs and other merchandise with their own designs on it, is

> donating 10% of the purchase price for all autism-related products to Autism

> Speaks in the month of April.

>

> TALKING POINTS:

>

> - Autism Speaks is an organization which fails to include a single Autistic

> adult on their board of directors and more than token representation in

> other parts of their organization.

>

> - Only 4% of the funds donated to Autism Speaks go to services for

> individuals and families.

>

> - Autism Speaks' advertising relies on fear and pity to raise money and

> results in increased stigma and stereotypes about Autistic people.

>

> - By automatically donating funds to Autism Speaks on all autism related

> purchases, Cafe Press is forcing shopkeepers who have ethical problems with

> Autism Speaks to give money to an organization they oppose.

>

> SAMPLE E-MAIL:

>

> Dear Cafe Press:

>

> I'm writing as a customer to express my disappointment with your decision

> to donate 10% of all sales of autism-related products to Autism Speaks.

> Autism Speaks is not a neutral or non-controversial charity. Many adults on

> the autism spectrum and family members have grave concerns about Autism

> Speaks' operating practices and fundraising tactics. Autism Speaks fails to

> include any Autistic adults on their board of directors or in executive

> positions. Furthermore, only 4% of the funds donated to Autism Speaks go to

> services for individuals and families. Many people who care about autism

> issues find Autism Speaks' advertising and fundraising strategies – which

> rely on fear, pity and spreading stereotypes about Autistic people – deeply

> unethical. By forcing your vendors and customers who sell and buy

> autism-related products to donate money to an organization they are morally

> opposed to, you break the bonds of trust that connect you with your customer

> and vendor base. I urge you to reconsider your donation to Autism Speaks –

> and I will be withholding my business from Cafe Press until you do.

>

> Sincerely,

> [NAME HERE]

>

> CONTACT INFO FOR CAFE PRESS:

>

> Bob Marino, President: bmarino@...

> , CFO: mjohnson@...

> Abdul Popal, VP Business/Dev Operations: apopal@...

> Amy Maniatis, VP Marketing: amaniatis@...

> Sumant Sridharan, Head of Online Acquisitions: ssridharan@...

> Kara Parsons, VP Consumer/Retail: kparsons@...

> Marc Cowlin, Public Relations Manager: mcowlin@...

> Cafe Press PR Department Phone Number:

>

> Please bcc: info@... so we can keep track of the progress

> of the campaign and make sure that Cafe Press cannot claim not to have

> received the e-mails you or those you contact send.

>

April 8, 2011

At 11:04 AM 4/8/2011, De Carlo wrote:

>So basically, 10% of the proceeds from pro-neurodiversity merchandise is

>automatically donated to Aut$pks? People buying anti-Aut$pks merchandise

>will have to pay Aut$pks for it? This is *officially* making Aut$pks the

>800-pound gorilla from CafePress' perspective...

>

>Not cool. Not cool at all.

and an autistic politely posting a comment on the CafePress blog post

(titled " A Voice for Autism " ) pointing that out will be silenced,

not allowed a voice on the matter.

no, not at all cool, not anywhere near close.

-jypsy

________________________________

April 8, 2011

If this is ridiculous, which it is, then get your letters and calls in -

easy to do, thanks so much for the wording and I agree so it's easy to

express it too!