Human Services : Youth Development, Shelter, and Crisis Services
California Police Activities League
The bond between cops and kids
"Professional" fundraisers make prank calls.
Posted by Charity-wary | May 1, 2009 6:03:19 AM
We gave to CAL PAL for a few years running, before we knew of internet ratings for charitable giving. Once we discovered the amount of money actually going to the kids we stopped. The professional fundraisers (our caller ID would show "Southwest Productions") started calling at least twice a day, harrassing us. For a while a woman and a man would call and hang up repeatedly, sometimes laughing in the background if I answered - too dumb to realize we had caller ID. I called their main office and complained, threatening to go to the police. After a few more hang-ups and one more complaint call the prank calls stopped, but then pushy fundraisers started calling again, once or twice a day. They have finally stopped calling.
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Police and Firefighter Charities
Posted by RedFeathter | August 11, 2009 6:13:34 AM
The message above is similar to my experience with policy and firefighter charities. My wife and I used to get calls and give regularly to these organizations but it was always a slightly different charity. 1st it was Police and Sheriffs of Orange County then of Long Beach then of California. When I started looking at these charities in Charity Navigator I was astonished that most of these were of very poorly rated. Some of them were unions!! Being from CA and witnessing the headlock that Public Employee Unions have on this State I was frustrated and embarrased. Be very careful when giving to any charity that is associated with police or firefighter fraternal organizations.