The Tampa Bay Times, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and CNN worked together to find the country’s 50 Worst Charities.
You’ll notice that the worst offenders often include the words “children,” “cancer,” or “police” in their titles. Among other things, the study found:
- The 50 worst charities in America devote less than 4% of donations raised to direct cash aid. Some charities gave even less. Over a decade, one diabetes charity raised nearly $14 million and gave about $10,000 to patients. Six spent no cash at all on their cause.
– Even as they plead for financial support, operators at many of the 50 worst charities have lied to donors about where their money goes, taken multiple salaries, secretly paid themselves consulting fees or arranged fund-raising contracts with friends. One cancer charity paid a company owned by the president’s son nearly $18 million over eight years to solicit funds. A medical charity paid its biggest research grant to its president’s own for-profit company.
You can read more here. And if you’re looking to see if a charity of your choice is effective, Charity Navigator is a really good resource.
