The Oregon Attorney General is challenging the operations of “charities” that seek donations in Oregon but spend little on their missions. A report in The Oregonian focuses on the activities of Shiloh International Ministries, which led the AG’s list of “20 Worst Charities” for 2010. Shiloh International Ministries is based in La Verne, California; its EIN [...]
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The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported last Sunday on the work of Jason Birrittier — charity telemarketing entrepreneur. Jason recently shut down his telemarketing operation (called Public Safety), after a run-in with law enforcement. He denied all allegations. Based in St. Louis, and with contracts with Disabled Firefighters Fund, the Coalition of Police and Sheriffs, [...]
According to the AIP report, CDG telemarketers lied to potential donors about the portion of moneys that would go to charity, and typically turned over not more than 15% of the moneys raised to charity. CDG fundraised for numerous local firefighter, police and veterans charities and also had contracts with several groups that received “F” ratings from AIP. Read the AIP article. Continue reading ““Charity” telemarketer hit with $18.8 million fine” Based on an investigation that included use of undercover investigators who went to work for the telemarketing companies, NY attorney general Andrew Cuomo’s complaints allege the telemarketers
The Orange County Register published a terrific reminder about the dangers of “charities” seeking donations through paid telemarketers. Charity scams and telemarketing frequently go hand-in-hand. I don’t give to “charity” telemarketing appeals by paid marketing groups — and encourage you to follow my lead. Read the story. Read our Red Light warning on charity [...] Avoiding “charity” scammers is an important part of smart giving. Every dollar scam “charities” take in is a dollar that could instead have gone to a strong charity doing valuable work with the funds entrusted to it. Join our Serious Givers email group now and we’ll send you our Top Tips for Avoiding [...] Every dollar sleazy “charities” take in is a dollar that could instead have gone to a strong charity doing valuable work with the funds entrusted to it. The connection between sleazy “charities” and paid telemarketing can’t be denied — they frequently travel together. Just take a look at the results so far from Operation False Charity headed by the Federal Trade Commission, including the lawsuits filed by the CA Attorney General’s Office. Continue reading “I’m Avoiding Charities that Use Paid Telemarketers” California’s Office of the Attorney General on May 29 announced lawsuits against 53 individuals, 17 telemarketers and 12 “charities” who purported to be helping police, firefighters and veterans. The California action is part of the Federal Trade Commission’s Operation False Charity. Based on the California action, each of the following has earned our Charity Skunk Award:
So, without that telephone call from that pleasant young man, you never would have known about the great work his charity is doing. He did you a favor, and you’d like to make a donation. Don’t do it! First, do you have enough information about the charity? Do you have their latest IRS Form [...] The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on May 20 Federal court cases and proposed settlement orders involving
alleging that all three organizations, based at the same address in Santa Ana, CA, were created almost entirely to provide profits for the individual defendants and the for-profit fundraisers they hire. In recognition of their work, we’ve awarded the organizations and individual defendants our not-so-coveted Charity Skunk Award. Continue reading “Charity Skunk Awards: Veterans, Police and Firefighter Sham Nonprofits” |
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Copyright © 2012 Edward W. Long | The Smarter Giving Guy | All Rights Reserved |
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The “charity” telemarketing company Civic Development Group has been ordered by the Federal Trade Commission to pay an $18.8 million fine, the largest penalty ever handed down in a consumer protection case — as detailed in the American Institute of Philanthropy’s latest Report. CDG and its owners have now earned our not-so-coveted 