(It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. women who risk their lives every day to protect Americans. It was raising money using four different police-oriented names (one "association," two "coalitions" and one "support fund"). He received a 28-year prison sentence and a $6 million fine. Recently I received a call from a number I didn't recognize from the . In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. Give the page a little longer to finish CharityWatch members are certain to be familiar with Larry Jones, whose antics as president ofFeed the Children (FTC) earned the group the moniker "Most Outrageous Charity in America" from CharityWatch. UNCF helps promising students attend college and graduate by providing operating funds for its 39 member colleges, administering 400 scholarship and internship programs, and serving as a national advocate for the importance of minority higher education by representing the public policy interests of its students and member colleges. We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charitys success. CFA has even faced charges, some dating back to as early as 1989, from about 20 states for allegedly misleading donors, but it has paid fines and continued to operate. Celebrating 30 years of helping you give wisely, In this feature you'll find the personalities behind the major charity scandals that inspire our work and illustrate the importance of a tough charity watchdog that is unafraid to challenge wrongdoing. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. Charity Review - give org Friedman Foundation for Education Choice. Msg&data rates may apply. Paid for by United Police Fund. Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place. Defend Our Police | United Police Fund This financial reporting made Chapin's charities appear to be highly efficient even though most of the charities' cash was not going to veterans. It seemed like the people who did real well were the guys that did time.. Charity Navigator gives them a 4-star rating while GuideStar gives them a Platinum seal of transparency. 48 talking about this. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Jones did not go away quietly. Americas law enforcement officers are some of the best trained officers in the world, however, with the limited resources of local communities outside professional training is severely limited. The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). Please refresh the page By Angie Ward. The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. It is also the 2,417 th largest credit union in the nation. Learn more about our criteria and methodology. For his notoriously young girlfriend, Aramony spent $450,000 of the charity's money to purchase and lavishly furnish a New York condo; $78,000 to chauffeur her around New York City; and $4,800 to renovate her home in Florida. Organizations that demonstrate consistent annual growth in program expenses are able to outpace inflation and thus sustain their programs year to year. After retiring from HHV, Chapin continued as president of CSAH and a newer nonprofit he founded, Help Wounded Heroes. By providing your phone number, you are consenting to receive calls and SMS/MMS msgs, including autodialed and automated calls and texts using prerecorded voice, to that number from United Police Fund. Only as of its 2017 fiscal year has FTCstarted to improve upon its prior "F" and"D" ratings from CharityWatch. The Giving Basket is having some issues. NCLF also falsely reported the existence of a compensation committee, and the charity filed purported independent financial audits that failed to meet even basic auditing standards. Those arrested included James Paul Williams, Jr., 61, and his son, Jason Robert Williams, 34, a convicted sex offender. Why Aren't Donated Clothes Always Given Away for Free? Seattle Crime Does Not Respect City Limits! CharityWatch president, Daniel Borochoff, who was invited to provide advice and expert testimony at the hearing, alerted the Committee about unusual or inefficient financial transactions at Chapin's charities. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. This ratio is an indicator of an organizations solvency and or long term sustainability. Online fundraising makes up 12% of total fundraising. Opt-out: The charity has a written privacy policy published on its website which enables donors to tell the charity to remove their names and contact information from lists the charity shares or sells. No: This charity either does not have a written donor privacy policy in place to protect their contributors' personal information, or the existing policy does not meet our criteria. United Police Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Miami and is the 85 th largest credit union in the state of Florida. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. Additionally, Shor likely knew that NCLFs charitable program spending looked much better on paper than it actually was because NCLF was reporting its expenses in a way that minimized fundraising costs and did not follow relevant accounting rules, thereby further deceiving donors, according to the OAG. (ACS is often nicknamed the Cancer Fund.) This fundraising strategy worked well for Reynolds, as CFAs annual cash contributions eclipsed $10.5 million by just its fourth year of existence. Getting calls from police charities? - KNXV Established Date. Learn about wise giving, issues addressed by BBB Charity Standards, and how BBB Wise Giving Alliance completes evaluative reports on charities. They want to know more about how an organization is governed and the ethics of its leaders.". Wonderful, Children's Cancer Fund of America (DISSOLVED), National Children's Leukemia Foundation (DISSOLVED). Many legitimate charities support local firefighters and police, active duty military, and veterans, or their families. Based on Marks' research, he alleges that a couple of her most heart rendering stories are at best misrepresented and at worst fiction. SMF announced in October 2014 that it has permanently closed its doors. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. COMMUNITIES UNITED FOR POLICE REFORM ACTION FUND INC | Charity Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. At fiscal year-end 2017, ARC reported having a positive unrestricted balance, but it was only $135,492. Before the scandal broke, Aramony was widely respected as one of the most influential nonprofit leaders of his time. Williams was charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of conspiracy, two counts of grand larceny, weapons possession, falsifying business records, and 48 counts of identity theft; as of late April 2016, she was being held without bail and faced up to 25 years in prison, according to The New York Times. Zvi Shor (aka Steve Shor and Demetrie Bennett). Mullaney resigned from WonderWork in 2017 amid allegations of fraud and mismanagement. Somaly Mam is known the world over as a champion for women and girls forced into the sex trafficking industry. Safer communities attract investment, grow jobs, and encourage taxpayers to move in and stay. Evidence showed that Bennett siphoned approximately $7 million from New Era for personal expenditures, including transferring charity funds to his own for-profit businesses. Freedom Service Dogs. Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties, Audited Financial Statements Listed on Website. All rights reserved. Americans overwhelmingly oppose defunding the police with73% of those polled wanting funding maintained(42%) or increased (31%), with 55% of Black Americans wishing to see funding maintained or increased. The paper's editor reported that Jones said he would give the newspaper a story "twice as good" if it did not publish its story. Thompson later admitted that his real name is John Donald Cody. the President of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Give the page a little longer to finish This ratio is an indicator of an organizations solvency and or long term sustainability. We estimate the increase in income caused by a nonprofit's scholarship program in two steps. Sadly, it is those with intellectual and developmental disabilities who rely on the services of ARC that were harmed the most by Amorins shameful and criminal acts. As CEO of SmileTrain, Mullaney approved tens of millions in fundraising costs that helped the charity bring in up to $120 million in donations annually. Joe Wingo, who also served as a pastor at a church he founded, started AFM in 1994, a few years after he served a one-year prison sentence for extortion. 3. However, the disturbing claims in the May 2015 federal action against four of the Reynolds family charities, CFA, CSS, CCFOA and BCS, Reynolds, Junior, and Reynolds ex-wife, Rose Perkins (Perkins), have cinched Reynolds and his family a spot in the CharityWatch Hall of Shame. The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). William Aramony served for 22 years as president and CEO of United Way of America (UWA), the umbrella group for thousands of local United Way organizations that fund social and human service projects nationwide. Chapin was highly skilled at painting his charities in a favorable light for potential donors, often using celebrities to promote his nonprofit endeavors, or employing accounting tricks to inflate his charities' financial efficiency. UNITED POLICE FUND was formed in 2018 as a political nonprofit organization designated under of IRS tax code section 527. Chapin was later compelled to testify at a second hearing in early 2008. Chapin's charity was roundly cr Roger Chapin, a self-described "non-profit entrepreneur," retired last year from the charity he founded in 1971, Help Hospitalized "Make one gift now and we'll never ask for another donation again!" We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. Unfortunately for most of us, we have been touched personally by cancer in some way. Our mission is to enhance the quality of education by providing financial assistance to deserving students, raising operating funds for member colleges and universities, and increasing access to technology for students and faculty at historically black colleges and universities. This overall score is calculated entirely from a single beacon score, weighted as follows: 100% Accountability & Finance. NCLF filed years of falsified IRS and state filings that listed board members who had no involvement with the charity, some of which werent even aware that they were being listed. In this case, we deduct 15 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score. Leadership Development Institute and the Co-Founder of the ARIAH Foundation. Some months may have more than one entry due to the size of the download. Another law enforcement charity that faced disciplinary action was the American Association of State Troopers, which was fined a total of $321,115 in three states Georgia, Mississippi and Pennsylvania. If you are still not sure if your money is really going to the cause, call your local police or fire department and ask how you can donate to them. Other law enforcement organizations included among the nations worst charities include Disabled Police Officers of America, Inc. (28th worst); Disabled Police and Sheriffs Foundation (29th worst); National Police Defense Foundation (30th worst); Reserve Police Officers Association (36th worst); Disabled Police Officers Counseling Center (38th worst); and National Narcotic Officers Associations Coalition (44th worst). CharityWatch Hall of Shame Members: Father Bruce Ritter (Covenant House); William Aramony (United Way of America); John Bennett, Jr. (Foundation for New Era Philanthropy); Lorraine Hale (Hale House); Roger Chapin (Help Hospitalized Veterans and Coalition to Salute America's Heroes); Larry Jones (Feed the Children); John Donald Cody (United States Navy Veterans Association); Greg Mortenson (Central Asia Institute); The Wingo Family (Angel Food Ministries); Somaly Mam (Somaly Mam Foundation); James Reynolds, Sr. (Cancer Fund of America);Zvi Shor (National Children's Leukemia Foundation);Kim Williams (Healing Arts Initiative);Brian Mullaney (WonderWork); and Lola Jean Amorin (The Arc in Hawaii). A man who assumed the stolen identity of "Bobby Thompson" disappeared in June 2010, and went on the lam with a nationwide warrant for his arrest for crimes including corruption, theft, and money laundering associated with his sham charity, The United States Navy Veterans Association (USNVA). Have a Question? The UNITED POLICE FUND is an advocate on the National level for America's Law Enforcement. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years. NCLF also heavily promoted a Make A Dream Come True program for terminally ill children that did little more over the past several years than pay for one laptop computer and one trip to Disney World. The board said in a statement that the firings were for withholding critical financial and other information, but the now former CFO claimed that they were retaliatory in nature, according to The New York Times. For decades, HH provided help for children touched by poverty, drug abuse, and AIDS. Zvi Shor founded National Childrens Leukemia Foundation (NCLF) in 1991, reportedly in response to losing a son to leukemia. You're faster than our page! In 1998, Bennett was sentenced to twelve years in prison for his crimes. Please Support our Mission. In 2006 HHV and CSAH each counted the same donated "phone cards," valued by the charities at $18.7 million, as a contribution and program expense in their financial statements. Further, Amorins husband, Albert Amorin, was sentenced to five years probation after pleading no contest to evading taxes on about $3 million that his wife stole from ARC and he failed to report as income on joint tax returns. Extravagant spending by Lorraine Hale and her husband, Jesse DeVore, who was employed as HH's public relations director, was widely reported in the media. Altogether, the seven PACs spent nearly 85 percent of the $5.9 million they raised through March. The New York Times noted that a spokesman for the HAI board said that the lawsuit was not the reason for the terminations of Dyer and the CFO. The claimed retaliation is presumed to be for his and Dyers complaints to the New York State attorney general about the boards stewardship and Dyers decision to sue the board on behalf of HAI. Shor and NCLFs other former officers also are banned from soliciting funds on behalf of any charity and from serving as fiduciaries of any New York charity, with a nationwide charity ban for Shor and his son. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. Hawaii News Now reports being told of several instances when ARC needed to borrow money from a board member to pay its bills. The New York Daily News exposed that Hale House Foundation (HHF), a separate fundraising arm of the charity, spent $444,953 on a bronze statue of Mother Hale in 1995. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has built the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which is visited by more than 200,000 people annually. This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies. As we stated earlier, these 50 charities account for almost $1 Billion in donations. The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). The best defense they have is good training. First, we compare the estimated postsecondary graduation rate of its scholars to that of comparable students who did not receive a scholarship (the counterfactual). Charity Navigator currently only evaluates nonprofits registered with the IRS as 501 (c) (3) organizations. The United States Navy Veterans Association certainly looked like a legitimate organization on the surface. For example, in 1999 an investigation by television station WTVF revealed that local FTC executive staff in Nashville regularly took boxes of donated goods for themselves from the FTC warehouse. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. UPF respects your privacy and we do not sell your name, telephone number or any data to anyone. "So I really want to support the police for what they do.". In 1992, Aramony resigned amidst allegations that he siphoned money from UWA through spin-off companies he helped to create. But with subpar vocational training at most prisons, many former offenders are desperate to work in call centers and withhold information about their criminal records. 9 Best Charities for Law Enforcement in the US (Complete 2023 List) Contreras was arrested and pled guilty to charges including corruption, theft, and money laundering. After the USNVA scandal broke all of them eventually agreed to donate those monies to other veterans charities. As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for UNCF is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. CharityWatch called for Mortenson's resignation earlier this year, arguing that CAI will be unable to recover from its tarnished reputation with him at the helm. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organizations overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned. Shor even was able to secure himself a ten-year position as NCLFs Founder and Senior Advisor under the terms of an Employment & Compensation Agreement in early 2011 after Shor no longer officially had the title of president. This multi-million dol Angel Food Ministries (AFM), a Georgia-based nonprofit that provided discounted food to families in need across the U.S., has shut its doors. This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990. State Rep. Jeff Brandes said he intends to introduce legislation to close that loophole. Shor did so by giving his presidents title to a straw man, according to the OAG, who was NCLFs accountant, Yehuda Gutwein, in May 2010 while Shor himself continued to lead NCLF. Email Address. The organization's stated purpose was to sell affordable food to the needy by purchasing food in bulk and distributing it through a network of volunteers and churches. He offered some women financial benefits if they had sex with him and would transfer those who declined, according to the indictment. Then, adding insult to injury, in early May 2016 HAIs board of directors fired both Dyer and the new CFO she had hired. Costs: The money spent by a nonprofit and its partners and beneficiaries. The percentage of money spent by the organizations on direct cash aid ranged from 0% (National Narcotic Officers Associations Coalition) to 8.9% (American Association of State Troopers). If a nonprofit reports impact but doesn't meet the benchmark for cost-effectiveness, it earns a score of 65. No: This charity either does not have a written donor privacy policy in place to protect their contributors' personal information, or the existing policy does not meet our criteria. This charity's score is 72%, earning it a Two-Star rating. Email: Dan@unitedpolicefund.org. CharityWatch does not rate The Arc in Hawaii. Firefighters Burn Fund; Hope Cancer Fund; The Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting broke the charities up into five main categories: children, cancer, police/law enforcement, veterans, fire and other. No Credit: There has been a diversion of assets within the last two years and the charity's explanation on Schedule O is either non-existent or not sufficient. These organizations also supply givers with greater confidence by maintaining broad public support for their programs. UNCF has earned a 88% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. Apparently, however, operating just one disgraceful charity wasnt enough for Reynolds and some of his family. More and better policing also pays dividends. Outcomes: Changes in the lives of those served by a nonprofit. CharityWatch has been giving the Cancer Fund of America an F rating since 1993 for its extremely low program spending and high fundraising costs. CAI's co-founder and executive director, Greg Mortenson, is a New York Times best selling author two times over and Central Asia Institute (CAI) is one charity that for many donors and avid readers alike requires no introduction. Hale House (HH) was co-founded in 1969 by Clara Hale, a Depression era widow known for taking needy children into her home, earning her the affectionate title "Mother Hale." Terms & conditions/privacy policy apply https://unitedpolicefund.org/terms-of-service/. We should support, empower, and professionalize through greater training and accountability American law enforcement officers, not slander them. To determine causation, we take the outcomes we observe and subtract an estimate of the outcomes that would have happened even without the program (i.e., counterfactual outcomes). We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years. Opt-out: The charity has a written privacy policy published on its website which enables donors to tell the charity to remove their names and contact information from lists the charity shares or sells. Internal feuding between Mullaney and SmileTrains other co-founder, Charles Wang, resulted in Mullaneys termination as SmileTrains CEO in 2010, according to the Final Report of Examiner, as filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in November of 2017. Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. (The national office of The Arc, The Arc of the United States, is currently Top-Rated by CharityWatch. In America on average a law enforcement officer dies in the line of duty approximately every 54 hours. This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores, weighted as follows:40% Accountability & Finance, 60% Impact & Results. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. Both steps are necessary to properly net out counterfactual successes from observed successes. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have. 2018-2023 |Terms of Service | Privacy Policy. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. He met Villasor while dating her slightly older sister. The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. The UNITED POLICE FUND is an advocate on behalf of law enforcement to ensure they receive adequate funding for proper training and equipment and to inform the public as to the issues facing law enforcement. One may wonder 100% of your donation goes toward programs -- 0% goes toward overhead. Learn more about our criteria and methodology. Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website. "But I'm sure there are a lot that are not on the level, so you kind of have to be cautious," she said. Williams luck started to run out in July 2015, though, when HAI hired a new, highly qualified executive director, the Reverend D. Alexandra Dyer. In reality, New Era was paying its original investors with money from new investors. View the video here! Have a problem?Send me an email, at jmatarese@wcpo.com or message me on Facebook. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. If you want to subsidize the flash lifestyle of Reynolds, then go right ahead and donate. Police reduce crime and their absence gives criminals space to wreak havoc. Why Aren't Donated Clothes Always Given Away for Free? Typically, this data allows us to calculate direct changes in participants' lives, such as increased income. Learn more about our criteria and methodology. This charity's score is 83%, earning it a Three-Star rating. Donations have surged to a 'scam' political group that claims - CNN No Credit: The charity did not have its audited financials prepared by an independent accountant. To be added to our Do Not Call List please call 800-215-1579, **Our records are referenced by phone numbers.Email UPF atinfo@unitedpolicefund.org (Best)Backup Email: upfinformation@gmail.com. As quoted by the Associated Press, CharityWatch President Daniel Borochoff commented that nonprofits "evidently saw New Era making money for a competitor and just played follow the leader, gambling away their individual donor contributions for snake oil.". BBB Wise Giving Alliance already addresses privacy concerns in our standards. Any fundraiser should be able to give you a legit tax ID number. to try again. In CharityWatchs opinion, anyone who is as brazen and immoral as to forge more than 600 checks over a period of almost 20 years in order to steal nearly $7 million from her nonprofit employer is deserving of a spot in our Hall of Shame. According to the report, Ritter diverted CH funds to the Franciscan Charitable Trust, an organization he founded, and loaned charity money to two senior staff members who later resigned.
