Need to
Know - How to Handle Telemarketers/Callers for Charities
The Federal "do-not-call" legislation has
allowed most Americans to finally enjoy dinner in peace without being
hassled by unwanted phone calls from telemarketers. You may not realize,
however, that when Congress passed the do-not-call legislation, they
exempted themselves (and all other politicians) as well as nonprofit
organizations. Since most telemarketing firms have lost for-profit
accounts as a result of these laws, many are turning to nonprofit
organizations for new business. Currently, many of these companies are
calling us all on behalf of political parties and candidates. Once the
November elections are over, however, these companies will begin making
calls on behalf of charities.
In an effort to assist donors bombarded
by telephone appeals on behalf of charities, Charity Navigator offers
this "Guide to Handling Telephone Appeals".
Find out who's calling:
Many phone calls soliciting charitable donations come from
for-profit professional telemarketers that keep a sizable portion of
your donation for themselves and don't really care about the cause
they're promoting. Find out if the person with whom you are speaking
works for a telemarketing company or is a volunteer or employee of
the charity itself.
Ask where your donation
goes: Professional, for-profit telemarketers typically
negotiate their fees ahead of time and know exactly how much of
every dollar raised goes to the charity and how much stays with the
telemarketer. Companies often charge the charity 20 to 90 cents of
each dollar raised. Ask the person on the other end of the line to
tell you how much of your donation will actually end up with the
charity. By law, they must tell you.
Get it in writing:
Ask the person calling to send you a copy of the charity's annual
report or a brochure describing its mission and accomplishments.
Effective and efficient charities are proud of their accomplishments
and are able to provide written materials describing their mission,
program accomplishments, and financial information.
Do some research:
Begin by checking to see if the charity contacting you is one of the
over 5,000 charities that Charity Navigator rates. Charity
Navigator's ratings provide clear, objective, and reliable
assessments of the financial health of charities. Givers can be
confident that in supporting those charities rated highly by Charity
Navigator, they will be supporting organizations that are fiscally
responsible and financially healthy. If someone contacts you
soliciting a donation for a charity that Charity Navigator does not
currently rate you can request a copy of the organization's IRS form
990. Federal law requires nonprofit organizations to provide their
last 3 IRS form 990s (tax returns) and their IRS form 1023
(application for tax exemption) within 30 days of your request.
Eliminate the middleman:
If you determine that the charity calling you is one you wish to
support, contact them and find out how to donate to the charity
directly and avoid having part of your donation taken by a
for-profit company.
Additional Tips:
Never give out credit card, bank
account, or other personal information over the phone.
Beware of "sound alike"
organizations that have names similar to responsible, reputable
charities. Don't be swayed merely by a benevolent-sounding name.
Remember that you have the right to
end the phone call whenever you wish. You should never feel coerced
into giving
