Business Case Studies & Business Publications

When the Fur Hits the Fan (A)

Freeman, R. Edward...

Case

When the Fur Hits the Fan (A)

Freeman, R. Edward; Mead, Jenny

E-0328 | Published August 27, 2008 | 2 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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How should a nonprofit animal shelter deal with valuable old fur coats donated to its fundraising rummage sale? On one hand, selling the furs at the sale could bring in up to $20,000 to help the animals. On the other hand, there have already been angry complaints about the outrageous irony of selling "dead animals" to benefit live animals. Yet the women who donated the furs undoubtedly intended for the shelter to sell them for a profit. The B case reveals the solution the shelter eventually came up with.

Nonprofits often face situations that can be mine fields. How should this animal shelter respond to the fur donations? In discussing this two-part case, students identify the stakeholders (including the "dead animals") and examine the rights and responsibilities of each.