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Some fundraisers pay >90% of the funds to themselves

propublica.org

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Re: Some fundraisers pay >90% of the funds to themselves

#31

Post by elaus »

booleandilemma wrote: post #7
Loughla wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I stopped donating to a very well known charity organization when I found that 85% of the annual costs were administrative, 10% we're property costs, and only 5% went to actual programs. This may be just the way the local chapter is set up, but it's fucking greasy.

Why do people post comments like this and not name the offenders?

To be fair, without evidence such name-calling would not be helpful. Not talking about a specific local chapter of a single charity and instead focusing on the problem in general seems to be more helpful in this context.

Re: Some fundraisers pay >90% of the funds to themselves

#32

Post by zogrodea »

zarathustreal wrote: post #27
booleandilemma wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people post comments like this and not name the offenders?

Do you really need an answer or are you as guilty as they are?

It's a reasonable request. Readers who see the charity to be named named may also donate to them, and seeing such a claim would make readers think twice and perhaps make their donations elsewhere.

Re: Some fundraisers pay >90% of the funds to themselves

#33

Post by ethbr1 »

vunderba wrote: post #25
pavlov wrote: post #14

There are lots of apps to plan and track one's investments. Maybe there should be an app to track one's donations too. If I could see a history of what was the ROI (in terms of money spent on actual programs) of my monthly donations, and also easily reallocate those donations to other charities, I'd certainly check up on that app every once in a while.

I've used Charity navigator for years. They have alway been a very good source of high-quality charities to ensure the bulk of the donation goes to the actual cause. It even has audit information breaking down the distribution of funds. Givewell is another recommendation. https://www.charitynavigator.org https://www.givewell.org/

+1 Management vs advertising vs program spending can drastically vary from charity to charity. And there are some bad practices even by very well-known names (see: ad spend).

Re: Some fundraisers pay >90% of the funds to themselves

#35

Post by personomas »

dagw wrote: post #29
rqtwteye wrote: post #17

Go to Northern VA. There are a lot of mansions owned by non profit higher ups.

I work at a non-profit (although not one that fundraises and solicits donations), and while I do earn less than could make in the private sector, I still fully expect to be paid at a level commensurate with my skill and experience. If you want to attract good people you have to pay at least close to what they could make working somewhere else.

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Re: Some fundraisers pay >90% of the funds to themselves

#36

Post by foreigner »

Many years ago my sister had a job going door to door asking for donations for environmental causes. I was shocked to discover that the people doing the canvassing immediately pocketed half of the donations as they walked away from the door. And that was only the percentage taken by the people on the front line!

Re: Some fundraisers pay >90% of the funds to themselves

#38

Post by hilux »

booleandilemma wrote: post #7
Loughla wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I stopped donating to a very well known charity organization when I found that 85% of the annual costs were administrative, 10% we're property costs, and only 5% went to actual programs. This may be just the way the local chapter is set up, but it's fucking greasy.

Why do people post comments like this and not name the offenders?

(1) Because shaming a small-scale offender misses the point. And to avoid the perception of libel.

(2) Now that you know this type of fraud is a possibility, nothing stops YOU from checking Charity Navigator before donating.

Re: Some fundraisers pay >90% of the funds to themselves

#40

Post by GoodJokes »

pavlov wrote: post #14

There are lots of apps to plan and track one's investments. Maybe there should be an app to track one's donations too. If I could see a history of what was the ROI (in terms of money spent on actual programs) of my monthly donations, and also easily reallocate those donations to other charities, I'd certainly check up on that app every once in a while.

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