Michigan telemarketing firm takes huge chunk out of charity donations

[n2doc]

By Zlati Meyer



When the Vietnam Veterans of Michigan was looking to augment its fund-raising, the charity turned to a Southfield-based telemarketing firm to call up potential donors.

For the past dozen years, Associated Community Services has put its banks of script-reading phone solicitors to work for the veterans group, dialing into homes and convincing people to give up their credit card number and make a donation.

In 2011, the most recent year for which records are available, Associated Community Services raised $89,740 on behalf of the veterans group. But when the final check was cut, the charity received only $8,855 — a mere 10% — to put toward services for veterans. ACS kept the remaining $80,885 as payment for its fund-raising work, according to forms filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

ACS is one of the nation’s largest charity telemarketing firms. Employees call millions of Americans on behalf of cancer patients, homeless veterans or disabled firefighters. Donors who give once over the phone find themselves flooded with calls for the firm's other charity clients, according to a recent investigation by the Tampa Bay (Florida) Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20131223/NEWS05/312230013/Michigan-telemarketing-firm-takes-huge-chunk-out-charity-donations

Evil Scammers....

[Nye Bevan]

1. Never, ever make a donation in response to a telephone solicitation.

Who do you think pays the telephone solicitors? It comes out of your donations. Instead, do your research, find a charity that you like that does not waste too much money, and donate to them directly.

[etherealtruth]

3. ^^^ THIS ^^^

[Turbineguy]

4. I think maybe instead of being weak and listening and then

jumping through all the "no" loopholes, a simple, "we do not donate based on telephone solicitations" is called for.

[Nye Bevan]

5. "Please take me off your list" legally requires them to do just that (nt)

[etherealtruth]

6. Are you sure that is true of charitable solicitation?

Asking ... because I am not sure