Docmented Essay/ What's Next: A look ahead

Charities: Where’s Our Money Going?

Standing in the checkout line of the local Harris Teeter, I notice the negligible tear of scrap paper attached to a soda bottle waiting to be claimed. The notice reads “Please take this soft drink for free if the cashier fails to ask for your donation to the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP).” I’ve heard of this organization before. The silhouette of a military member carrying his buddy over his shoulder draws on not only the memory of my military training, but the emotional discord I, along with countless others, have experienced upon receiving the news of a friend or loved one being injured or killed in the line of duty. The emotional sympathizer within urges that I throw every cent at the charitable cause I am facing. The logical demon overrules and dictates that I assume a more practical reaction. Then, as I wait in line, I actually become irked by the blatant marketing ploy by this supermarket giant. Do I give freely to what I believe to be a noble cause or do I wait to see if the teenage cashier’s negligence will afford me a free soft drink? We should all give to a charity that helps those who have sacrificed for us as Americans; it’s the least we can do. This shouldn’t be a game in which I can win a free drink. After scanning the final item in my cart, the listless cashier attending the register with a drone-like voice asks me the same question he has been instructed to ask for the duration of his shift: “Would you like to give to the Wounded Warrior Project?” My dilemma has now reached a crossroads, and I am forced to make a decision. Not wanting to be a heartless person, I chalk up another five dollars to my already exorbitant grocery bill for a charity I assume will help the people I feel are most worthy of my cash. Ultimately, how am I supposed to know where that money goes? Unfortunately, too many of the current generation of charities tug on the heart strings of our humanity, causing us to blindly relinquish our hard earned money to some not-so-worthy causes.

In 2013, The Tampa Bay Times and Center for Investigative Reporting, in conjunction with CNN, revealed in an article, Above the Law: America’s Worst Charities, the “fifty worst charities” in America based on earnings to charitable spending ratio. This year long collaborative investigation audited “nearly 6,000 charities that have chosen to pay for-profit companies to raise their donations.” Within a decade of fundraising, the total earnings reached “$1.4 billion”, of which “970.6 million” went to solicitors or “fundraisers” to further their monetary revenue. That is a calculated average of approximately sixty nine percent, based on the figures presented in the Tampa Bay Times online database. The same database and figures expose a shocking truth: “less than four percent” was distributed as aid towards the mission statement of these fifty charities according to the same article.

Millions of dollars continue to funnel in to the shameless organizations each year largely due in part to our complacency as a society and the desire to feel that we have made a difference. Watchdog groups have been established to assist in the much needed effort of “intelligent giving,” as illustrated in the mission statement of Charity Navigator, one of the leading charity resource organizations:

Charity Navigator works to guide intelligent giving. By guiding intelligent giving, we aim to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace, in which givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome our nation’s and the world’s most persistent challenges.

Organizations like Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (BBBWGA) have completed the difficult research task of vetting a majority of America’s known charitable foundations. The only step left is to type in a name and connect the dots. Why then do we spend hours comparing cents on the dollar when purchasing groceries, yet can ill afford five minutes to check the credibility, profile and reviews of a foundation we readily throw our money at? In a CNBC News report Beware: Online Charity Scams on the Rise staff reporter Kelley Holland cites a Guidestar.org research poll that reveals that “9 out of 10 donors say that nonprofit performance is important.” The very same poll asserts that “only 33 percent of individual donors, on the other hand, research their giving.” One hundred percent would be dumbfounded and outraged if they were to discover either most or all of their charitable donations were, instead, pocketed by a for-profit CEO.

The disreputable fund raising methods and indiscriminant spending by fraudulent or shady organizations does not preclude us from giving to our favorite worth-while cause. It simply implies that we as a society need to become and remain more vigilant to whom we give and how we donate. While a year-long research study and audit of ten years of tax documents may not be feasible in helping us to make our decisions to freely relinquish five measly bucks, asking a few simple questions and researching the organizations we donate to will provide the peace of mind in knowing that we have made a difference for the less fortunate. No better words can summarize such a critical point than the Russian proverb made famous by Ronald Reagan: “Trust but verify.”

Works Cited

"America's Worst Charities." America's Worst Charities. Tampa Bay Times, 15 Nov. 2013.