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Debbie Dujanovic reporting
Produced by Kelly JustWhen you give to a charity, ever wonder how much of your donation actually goes to the cause? You may be very disappointed if you give to America's heroes -- police and firefighters.
They patrol neighborhoods, battle blazes and take drugs off the streets. So when firefighters and cops call to ask for money, chances are you listen. Maybe you recently took a call from the Professional Firefighters of Utah (PFFU). This group collects money so severely burned children can attend summer camp.
Vice President Jack Tidrow described PFFU's fundraising efforts as, "Good because the money we do receive goes toward charity work, and the burn camp is such a great program."
Notice, he did not say all of the money goes to the burn camp. Our investigation found 80 cents of every dollar you give goes to the telemarketing firm making the phone calls. Twenty cents goes to the firefighters. And from that 20 cents, the burn victims get 7 pennies. We asked Tidrow if he thought donors would be shocked by those numbers. "They shouldn't be surprised," said Tidrow, "because it does cost money to raise money."
Reasonable or not, this 80/20-percent split of your donations appears to be standard operating procedure.
Take the Utah Narcotic Officers Association (UNOA). This group's most recent IRS filings show that in 2006, UNOA collected $110,371 from you. The professional fundraiser got paid $82,778 of that, leaving a little more than $27,000 or 15 percent for UNOA to split between administrative costs, officer training and other groups in need. After getting just a few hundred bucks from UNOA, one children's center asked to be taken out of the group's telephone pitch. UNOA repeatedly refused our requests for an interview but did say the group does not like to pay a fundraiser so much -- it's just the only way to cover expenses.
Up next, it's the Salt Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association (SLCDSA), collecting money for a shop-with-a-sheriff program. Utah resident Jay Wilgus got the call.
"He specifically said ‘I'm from the Salt Lake sheriff's office,'" said Wilgus. "He would like to send an officer to a meeting or to pick up a check personally in uniform."
So what's the problem? "We do not run that program," explained Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder.
Despite the similar name and an official looking badge on the door, the Salt Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association has nothing to do with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.
We spot another issue. IRS records show that in 2006, the SLCDSA collected $791,308 in donations. The telemarketing company's cut: $545,771. The association did not want to talk on camera. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office sent out a cease and desist order, telling SLCDSA to stop making misleading statements. Salt Lake County's top lawman has plenty to say. "It's highly disturbing," said Winder. The sheriff is unhappy with the way all these charities operate.
He said, "I think the average person would believe that when they're providing a donation, especially under the auspices of law enforcement agency that doggone near 100 percent would go to the cause."
We found even when you ask about those percentages, you might not get a straight answer. While researching this report, I happen to get a call at home from PFFU asking for money. I already knew the group gives a very small portion to the children for burn camp. But that is not what I was told.
I asked, "What percentage of my donation actually goes to the children at the burn center?" The PFFU telemarketer said, "It's all going to the children at the burn center." "So 100 percent of the money that I would donate tonight would go to those children at the burn center?" "Right." You may be wondering if these groups are even allowed to call you in the first place. As charities, they get special access to your home phone because they're exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry.
These groups are way out of line; however, with those huge telemarketing bills. Watchdog group, Charity Navigator says no charity should spend more than 10 percent on fundraising costs.
What do the telemarketing firms have to say about all this? They say everyone who hires them, including police and fire agencies, are clearly told how much their share of fundraising money will be.
E-mail: iteam@ksl.com
