Friday, March 19, 2004

Fundraising costs high for ‘uncharitable’ charities

Worried that Georgia charities are spending high amounts on fundraising, cutting into actual charitable revenue, Secretary of State Cathy Cox has released a list of 11 “uncharitable” charities.

The list includes charities which used a paid solicitor to raise over $100,000 in campaigns that directed 15 percent or less of the total proceeds to the charitable organization between Nov. 1, 2002 and Oct. 31, 2003. The list is based on unaudited reports filed on behalf of the charities by paid solicitors, Cox said.

Charities which do not used paid solicitors are not required to file a report with the Secretary of State. Other organizations are exempt, including religious exemptions, nonprofit educational institutions and their affiliated organizations.

Topping the list is the Heritage Foundation, which retained just $34,545 from a campaign that grossed over $713,000.

The second-worst numbers were from the Catholic Medical Mission Board, Inc., which kept just $9,005 from a drive that grossed $149,000.

In third place was Southeastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, Inc., which kept just $20,000 from a campaign that grossed over $294,000.

Other charities with high fundraising costs included:

The National Association of Police Athletic Leagues, Inc., which kept just $436,000 from a $4.4 million campaign.

The Committee for Missing Children, Inc., which retained just $60,806 from a $608,000 campaign.

The American Association of University Women, Inc., which kept just $20,894 from a campaign raising $185,023.

The Georgia Junior Chamber of Commerce, Inc., which kept just $23,197 from a campaign that raised $190,000.

The Vietnam Veterans Foundation of Georgia, Inc. which kept just $18,239 of a campaign that grossed $148,000 in revenues.

The Little Heroes Foundation, which kept just 450,683 of a campaign that raised $359,371.

The Georgia State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police, Inc., which kept $335,385 of a campaign that raised $2.47 million.

The Professional Fire Fighters of Georgia, which kept $18,770 from a campaign that grossed $125,000.

Information on all 2,320 registered charitable organizations in Georgia is available online at www.sos.state.ga.us/securities/charitysearch.htm.

The five charities with the lowest amount of fundraising expense percentages were Groundspring.org, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the American Red Cross, the Defenders of Wildlife and the Jewish Federation for Greater Atlanta. Each of those organizations pocketed 90 percent or more of the funds raised in their fundraising campaigns.