by
Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting
in partnership with CNN
Poynter Institute
September 18, 2013
Why we did it
The Times’ amazing expose of U.S. Navy Veterans Association made us wonder:
How do you find other bad actors among 1.6 million nonprofits in America?
How we did it
We used state and IRS filings to identify charities that consistently kept less than 33 cents of every dollar donated.
Driving home the point
We got the telemarketers' scripts.
We analyzed IRS filings to determine how much cash really went to the cause.
Hint: It wasn't dying kids' wishes.
Putting flesh on the skeleton
Getting the data was just the start.
But there’s nothing like walking in the front door.
What we learned
Government oversight is lax with little communication among the states.
Fundraising numbers were reported each year.
Nobody had looked at them over time.
Our Findings
More than $1.35 billion donated to the 50 worst charities over the past decade.
Nearly $1 billion was kept by the for-profit solicitors.
Almost none of it made it to people in need.