September 11, 2001 changed so many things in our country. People seem to be more sensitive about reaching out and helping others. That is a good thing. Even though we have been in a recession, we are opening up our pocket books and trying to help those in need. However, we have also learned that some of the agencies we have supported may not spend our contributions wisely. The same thing also applies to political campaigns and all of the non-profits and candidates are asking for money-with the exception of perennial candidate John Jay Hooker- who argues that political money giving is legalized bribery.

There have been a lot of accusations that much of the money sent to organizations never made it to the victims of 9/11. Instead much of the funding stayed in the organizations. The New York State Attorney General published a report to respond to all of the allegations of the misuse of dollars sent to charities as a result of the attack of the World Trade Center on September Check out this fascinating report at http://www.oag.state.ny.us/charities/pennies01/penintro.html.

The New York State Attorney General also reports that in Telemarketing Campaigns in 2000 out of $188.4 million raised only 31.5% actually went to the charity and that the other 68.5% of the money raised was used to cover the cost of the campaign. That means in the year 2000 many charities that used telemarketing campaigns spent $129 million in campaign costs instead of sending any of those dollars to help the people they are supposed to be raising the money for.

Some of the same problems are festering in our political campaigns. This is an especially interesting election year because of Senator Thompson’s decision not to run for re-election. From the U.S. Senate on down, many candidates are trying to move up in the state hierarchy and some few candidates are in an uncontested race. The result is that if you have ever given money to any candidate, you can expect to be inundated with phone calls and direct mail pieces asking for more financial support.
You can have some fun with the phone calls. My husband and I frequently take turns(accepting the others political telemarketing calls) because somehow our house is on the target list of both the Republican National Committee and Trent Lott and the Democrat National Committee and Tom Daschle. It is not as much fun as it was when Newt Gingrich was running things. His recordings had gun shots and marching bands playing patriotic music for his recorded messages. Today Daschle and Lott are duller but you can tell the poor souls on the phone what you like and dislike about their stands (or in Tennessee, lack of stance) on important issues. Of course, the poor soul on the phone often is not even affiliated with the politician and has not had the pleasure of listening to an exasperating recorded diatribe but only knows how to deliver rhetoric instead of results. But venting makes me feel better and I recommend it for giving feedback to our elected officials any way that we can, especially those in Washington, D.C.

I should disclose that I am a member of the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Middle Tennessee because I am a supporter of their mission and purpose. Click on to the YW’s web site which is http://www.theYW.com and you will see their goals are “To focus on women and girls who desire to create a better quality of life for themselves and to thrust its collective power toward the elimination of racism wherever it exists and by any means necessary.”

Eliminating racism and improving life for all women are causes that are near and dear to my heart. I learned from research that over the last four years 80 percent of all contributions to the YW were used for programs and only 20 percent for administration. That is a far better effort than most organizations.

Donna Cheek who is CEO of the YWCA suggests to supporters that you should “follow your passion and heart and always ask questions.” She went on to say that “you should look at financial giving as you would any investment, by asking if the organization is making a difference, is it effective?” Cheek obviously leads a winning organization because three financial magazines Fortune, Smart Money and Worth listed the YW as a smart investment because of low cost of administration.

So how can you make sure your donations are helping victims instead of telemarketers and how do you select the non-profit or campaigns that best meet your needs? The American Institute of Philanthropy lists their “Tips for Giving Wisely” on their website at http://www.charitywatch.org/tips.html and these tips are “ 1. Know your charity. 2. Find out where your dollars go. 3. Do not respond to pressure. 4. Keep records of your donations. 5. Remember: “tax exempt” does not always mean “tax-deductible.” 6. Do not be misled by a charity’s familiar name. 7. Do not be enticed by emotional appeals 8. Ask if the charity is registered by federal, state and/or local authorities. 9. Beware of charities offering gifts. 10 Consider giving generously.”

It would appear that some organizations, both political and non-profit spend more on overhead expenses than serving those people they are supposed to help. How do you know what groups are legit and which ones are a waste for your hard earned dollars?
If an organization calls you and asked for money ask if a professional telemarketer is making the call and if they are being paid a portion of the money that you pledge to send to the charity.

So what can you do here in Nashville the next time you are asked to give money to a group, especially including political campaigns? Be sure and ask them questions. If it is for a political campaign be sure and find out how the candidate stands on issues that are near and dear to you. If the call is to support a non-profit, be sure and remember two things; 1. Who are the clients or customers of the organization, in other words, what group of people is this organization supposed to be helping? 2. If you get a call from a telemarketer, ask them if they are being paid for the call or solicitation. If they are, you can pledge money knowing you are paying a telemarketer and there is nothing wrong with that. Or, you can send money directly to the organization or campaign and bypass the solicitor and designate how you want your money to help.
In response to all of the emails and calls I received about last month’s column on feminism, the best response I have is to quote the author Rebecca West who said “I myself have never known that feminism is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.”

Saralee Terry Woods email is saraleewoods@bookmanbookwoman.com. She is the President of BookMan/BookWoman Used Books and is a local author.