A Word From The Publisher

In last week's editorial we discussed a scam in which unscrupulous companies offer to procure a "certified copy" of your home's deed for you. Nassau County Clerk Maureen O'Connell has been warning that these companies often charge exorbitant fees, for a document that can be obtained for a nominal fee at the Clerk's office.

This week we have another type of scam to discuss. Recently, we were contacted by a person who said she represented a charity that fights breast cancer. (The charity is not from Garden City.) The person was seeking corporate contributions, and asked for a $100 donation.

As many other companies are doing these days, we are also watching our spending, even the small items. Because this was a group which we were not familiar with, we turned to the internet for a quick check. What we found was very distressing.

The New York State Attorney General's office

( www.ag.ny.gov ) is responsible for the registration of charities that operate in the state, and charities are required to provide tax forms that can be viewed online by the public. In addition, the Attorney General produces an annual report on the telemarketing by professional fundraisers, called "Pennies For Charity" which is also available on the web site.

According to its tax filings, the charity which solicited our $100 spends about 80% of each donation on fundraising and administrative expenses. Only $20 of that $100 would have gone to educate women about breast cancer.

What's worse is that when telemarketers solicit for charities, very often little of the money even gets to the charity. In the 553 campaigns by telemarketers in 2007, in 436 cases the charity received less than half of the money raised.

We would like to urge our readers not to cut their charitable contributions during the downturn, but instead to give smarter and do a little research before donating.

Meg Morgan Norris

Publisher