David

Toronto Star
MADD’s `exorbitant costs’ anger charity’s volunteers
Dec. 9, 2006. 08:43 AM
KEVIN DONOVAN
STAFF REPORTER

People who donate to Mothers Against Drunk Driving are told by the charity that most of the $12 million it raises annually is spent on good works — stopping drunk driving and helping families traumatized by fatal crashes.

But a Star investigation reveals most of the high-profile charity’s money is spent on fund raising and administration, leaving only about 19 cents of each donor dollar for charitable works.

MADD chief executive officer Andrew Murie defends the expenses, saying the paid telemarketers and door-knockers are actually performing good works because they educate the public as they ask for cash. That’s a defence Canada’s top charity regulator rejects.

The controversy over squandered millions has many MADD Canada volunteers — typically people whose relative or friend was killed or injured by a drunk driver — calling for the charity to clean up its act.

“These are exorbitant costs,” said Sue Storey, whose mother was killed and father injured when their car was hit by a drunk driver in 1999. Storey is the co-founder of MADD’s Dufferin chapter. “I feel like I have been let down.”

Judy Gerrard Simmons, a former MADD board member and local chapter president, said the claims from MADD’s head office are misleading. “This is the public’s money. They have a right to know where it really goes,” said Gerrard Simmons, whose 15-year-old daughter and first husband were killed by a drunk driver in 1986.

“All of these millions of dollars roll in to MADD because the public has such a heart. The money comes in because of the deaths of our daughters, sons, husbands and wives,” said Gerrard Simmons.

She and Storey are two of thousands of volunteers who counsel families victimized by drunk driving. They find it offensive that MADD raises so much money, only to have most of it stay with three paid fundraising companies. Storey said the charity’s backbone is its counselling and advocacy work, which is done by unpaid volunteers with personal knowledge of the tragedies too many drinks and a car can cause.

For years MADD has been claiming it spends donor money well — fundraising pitches say “83.6 per cent of your donation is spent directly on MADD Canada programs.” When the Star obtained MADD’s financial statements, it was clear that millions of dollars in payments to the fundraising firms made up a big chunk of its charitable programs.

Veteran volunteers who built the charity from its grassroots days are locked in a struggle with CEO Murie over what they consider deceitful fundraising practices. They are also concerned that Murie won’t reveal MADD finances — salaries and administrative expenses — to the volunteers. But they say their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.

A groundbreaking charity series by the Star in 2002 revealed that one in six charities spent more on fundraising and administration than they did on charitable work. The Star’s investigation developed a standard that many Canadian charities have adopted: Good charities devote at least 60 per cent of their annual expenditure to good works, with the best ones devoting 80 per cent or more.

Charity in Canada is regulated by the Canada Revenue Agency’s Charities Directorate, run by director-general Elizabeth Tromp.

This week, the Star told Tromp that MADD was counting the work of professional fundraisers as charity. Tromp is not allowed to comment on individual charities but she said the practice is definitely not allowed. “When a professional fundraiser has been retained, it can reasonably be inferred that the intent of the expenditure is fundraising.”

MADD’s Murie said the regulator gave him permission to count the expenses as charity.

“We view these millions of one-on-one personal contacts with the public to be vital to our mission. It ensures that individual members of the Canadian public are informed about the seriousness of impaired driving,” Murie said in a written statement to the Star. He said this is approved by the federal regulator and is practised by many other charities.

Tromp said the regulator has never condoned this approach.

Long-time MADD volunteers say fundraising is not charity. Visiting a victim at home or giving a talk to students about their personal experience is.

MADD Canada founder John Bates, who received the Order of Canada for his anti-drunk driving work, said the group created at his kitchen table many years ago has lost its way. He and other volunteers have raised this issue with Murie over the past year.

“We started off with no money at all. Now MADD has become a money machine working on fear and scare tactics,” said Bates, the one-time chairman who now has an honorary position on the board but no voting power. “There are wonderful people doing great volunteer work in MADD chapters across Canada but MADD head office has taken a national tragedy and turned it into a fundraising machine.”

Bates started the anti-drunk driving campaign in 1982 when his daughter’s friend, Casey Frayne (son of author/activist June Callwood and famed sportswriter Trent Frayne), was killed by a drunk driver. The woman was fined $500 and her driver’s licence suspended for three months after she was found guilty of careless driving. The woman was originally charged with dangerous driving, impaired driving and refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

After the accident, Bates and others in the community set up PRIDE (People to Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) and quickly made a big impact, forcing a change in attitude and laws.

In 1990, MADD USA expressed interest in coming to Canada. Bates and leaders of two other anti-drunk driving groups joined together, invited participation from the American group, and MADD Canada was born. By the late 1990s the organization started becoming more corporate. More staff were hired, salaries were increased, nicer offices rented and contracts signed with companies to run telemarketing campaigns, knock on doors, send out mail and issue tax receipts.

The MADD story highlights an issue that national opinion polls have shown concerns donors: charities that hire professional fundraisers to do all, or almost all, their fundraising. Fundraisers typically take 70-90 cents of each dollar. That’s what is happening at MADD, with the money turned over to the charity then being eaten up by administrative expenses and head office salaries. A portion of those salaries can be claimed as good works if the charity executives — as Murie and others do — carry out charitable activities in addition to running an office. For example, part of MADD’s mandate is to lobby for better laws.

But it’s in the area of fundraising where MADD spends a great deal of money.

Donors across Canada gave $5.4 million over the last year when the charity’s telemarketers called. MADD’s financial statements show 76 per cent ($4.1 million) was kept by the telemarketer. Part of the remaining 24 per cent ($1.3 million) was eaten up by other charity expenses such as administration, leaving little for good works.

Fundraising by volunteers, which many Canadian charities carry out, earns far more money for the chosen cause. Examples include the annual Terry Fox Run where volunteers raise money for cancer research. MADD does only a small amount of volunteer fundraising.

Murie said there is nothing wrong with using paid fundraisers because they are educating the public as well as asking for cash. He said MADD counts the words in each fundraising request and apportions expenses based on that: when the telemarketer or paid door-knocker gives prospective donors a “victim’s story” that is public awareness and part of the charity’s mission — not fundraising — even though the story is told to get a donation. The charity uses the same method of accounting for its mail fundraising drive.

A telemarketing script provided to the Star by MADD indicates that the fundraiser’s call is made to get a donation, though some information on the drunk driving problem is provided.

In the script, the paid fundraiser begins with a statistical overview of drunk driving in Canada, then describes volunteer-based services the charity provides. At this point, the fundraiser asks for a minimum donation of $50. If the prospective donor agrees, the telemarketer asks for a credit card number. If the donor says “no” then the fundraiser launches into a description of how MADD is pushing for tougher court penalties. Again, the fundraiser asks for a donation. If the prospective donor agrees, a credit card number is requested. If the answer is “no” more statistics are provided followed by one final pitch for money.

Murie said this is the charity’s public awareness and education campaign.

Ironically, the Star found, the person who does not donate gets the most “public awareness” because the fundraiser continues providing information.

In 2003, MADD was cautioned by the Charities Directorate for confusing fundraising and charitable works following an audit.

“(MADD) made incorrect allocations of expenditures between those incurred of a fundraising nature from those funds spent on charitable activities,” reads a letter to Murie from the directorate. It notes that charitable programs do not include “purely fundraising expenses such as door-to-door, direct mail and telemarketing fees.”

Murie said that after the audit, MADD worked to “enhance the accountability of our expense allocations.” He said they developed the “word count” method which he maintains was approved by the regulator.

Charity regulator Tromp said this accounting method is not approved. “We don’t go by words,” Tromp said, adding charities must carefully distinguish their good works from their fundraising campaigns. Tromp said she was speaking about charities in general and not commenting on MADD.

MADD’s financials came to light as part of a Star investigation into charity in Canada. It is unclear how many charities use contracted fundraisers because not all charities report this information to the government. Of the 800 charities that currently report using contracted fundraisers, MADD raises the most by this means and leaves the most in the fundraiser’s coffers.

MADD’s operations have led to a significant war chest, the Star found. Financial statements show the charity has $5.3 million in cash and investments. This is at odds with government strategy on charity which typically requires a group to spend most of its money on its cause.

There’s no doubt MADD Canada does good work. The Star interviewed a dozen leading volunteers (many of them current or past chapter presidents) and heard stories of how they rush to the aid of the newly bereaved, drawing on their own experiences to provide comfort and guidance. At the community chapter level, volunteers counsel the bereaved, monitor impaired driving court cases and provide pamphlets to the public. MADD also receives a government grant it uses to help train police on how to notify victims’ families; it monitors drunk driving court cases; and provides pamphlets on various issues to the public.

Another source of income for MADD is a multimedia presentation on the dangers of drinking and driving it charges high schools to view. Schools pay about $800 per showing. The financial statements show it costs MADD about $650,000 a year to mount the presentations, and it makes about $100,000 profit each year from the school fees.

Nancy Codlin of MADD’s Durham Region chapter lost her 18-year-old niece to a drunk driver six years ago and frequently helps counsel new victims.

But she is distressed at the fundraising and the lack of response from Murie and MADD’s board to their complaints. After volunteers raised the issue last spring at a highly emotional meeting, complaint letters were sent to the board. But Codlin and others interviewed say the board did not properly respond.

In a letter from MADD chair Senator Marjory LeBreton earlier this year, chapter leaders were told only that MADD’s accounting method for its fundraising expense (calling it programs and services) was approved by the board and therefore correct.

LeBreton, who is leader of the Conservative government in the Senate, lost her daughter and grandson 10 years ago in a drunk driving accident. She would not agree to an interview for this story, but sent an email encouraging the Star to speak to CEO Murie.

LeBreton wrote: “I am so proud of MADD’s success on a number of fronts — the highly successful public awareness campaigns; the extensive work with federal, provincial and territorial lawmakers to strengthen our laws; and most significantly, the heartbreaking but crucial work in support of the victims of these senseless criminal acts.”

Despite numerous requests over the past month, Murie would not agree to an interview, but accepted questions by email.

The CEO would not reveal his salary or that of other staff, saying it is personal information. Volunteers have been seeking an accounting of the $2 million-plus salary and administrative expenses at the charity’s Oakville head office.

I have spent many years dealing with money, and I am aware of many basic things that people (the general public) should know yet they don’t! I once spent two years explaining to various members of society why the bank had rejected their request for a loan. So now i would like to dedicate the following posts to helping explain the greatest tragedy of our society in the last 15 years. I am not talking about 911 or either of the Iraq wars, I am talking about credit and the ways it has been misused by corporate America. Now before you dismiss this as crazy or asinine I would like you to give me a chance to make my argument in the following paragraphs. If after that you still believe I am wrong, feel free to ignore the posts that will follow this.

I am going to start with an excerpt from a Barack Obama campaign pic. Although i dont intend to promote Barack Obama with this post, it says some things I feel about the direction our nation should be taking and i think it is an appropriate introduction.

“I believe we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to oppertunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in the cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us.”

Lets start with our parents and the American Dream… the people born just before the Baby Boom, up until just after the Baby Boom. When they bought houses (in the early 60’s) the banks required 20% down payment or more and the loans were for 15-30 years no exceptions. Over the years the banks started making exceptions to these rules, and as time passed the exceptions started becoming more and more prevalent. At first glance you look and see a bank that now requires only 10% down payment and see two immediate effects. The bank has made a way to increase its profit by charging interest on 10% more loaned money, and the person who is borrowing the money to buy the house can now place a down payment that is half of what they used to need.

So what’s the problem here? The problem is now the system is more flexible (and more complex) and allows for more abuse. To the average person a house doesn’t cost $200,000 to $500,000, it actually only costs $10,000 plus $2,000 a month. Well as banks saw a way to make more money they started requiring less and less down payment, and then the 15-year loan disappeared. Then in addition to 30-year loans, 45-year loans came into existence and even 60 year loans. So now the banks are making money hand over fist and why not, this is America, they deserve to make a profit.

So lets take a minute to recap what has just happened because this is about to jump to a new level. Americans (our grand parents born between 1920 and 1940) used to work 15-20 years to pay off their house, then work another 25-35 years to build enough of a savings to retire, and then they spent 10-20 years doing what they wanted before they died. Then our parents (born 1940-1960) worked 20-30 years to pay off the house, worked another 25—35 years to retire, and now had to make that retirement last another 15-25 years because they are living longer.

Then Corporate America kicked it up a notch. From the 1970’s to about 1985 (still talking about people born in 1940-1960) people are looking at 10% down and 30-40 year loans. Our grandparents who have not died have used their savings and now need money because health care is costing more. So our grandparents sell their houses and move to retirement homes so they wont be a burden on their kids. Now our health care system is starting to feel the effects of the old people who have not died.

Now it gets worse.

In the late 70’s and early 80’s people are trying to figure out what to do so they don’t end up like their parents (our grandparents). Well the banks are making money by lending for real estate, so why don’t we get our piece of the action, by selling real estate. We tell people that a house is not going to cost them $50,000 to $100,000, its only going to cost $5,000 to $10,000 and a few hundred a month. Then the real problem begins… the cost of a house jumps when the person who can afford $400-500 a month starts paying that much (after all it is only $200 more). Of course if you if you increase the monthly payment by 40% then the total cost of the house is about 40% more.

In 1989 the real estate market crashes due to many pressures (some of which were health care, a depressed fuel economy, and a natural downturn in the economy) both external and internal (the California market is especially affected). Those who saw the collapse of 1989 often didn’t realize that the many of their neighbors had two houses, one to live in, and one as an investment. Those same people didn’t realize that the neighbors who lost that second house in the blink of an eye, lost 10-15 years of their savings. As a natural reaction the nations upper class buys the majority of the real estate market at rock bottom prices.

In the 1990’s there is a rebound of the real estate market as the upper class sells this extra real estate back to the working class. Then by the mid 90’s the nations car economy takes off again, and the car market starts telling the public that a nice car is not going to cost them $15,000 to $20,000, it will only cost $4,000 and $200 a month. Then the term of the car loan goes quickly from 3 years to 4 year to 5 year by the late 1990’s. By the early 2000’s the average car loan is for 5 to 6 years. The next step is to decrease the down payment, because the banks need a larger balance to charge interest on. So now the car industry is large, General Motors has a health care obligation to it’s employees of billions. When car sales slow down GM does not cut back, it moves to almost zero profit on the sale of a car to keep the number of sales increasing every year. This also keeps their service departments and money-lending departments making money and makes sure their stock doesnt go down. The cars start flying off the proverbial shelves and the number of employees grows, as they need more workers to make more cars. There is no plan for the company to be able to deal with an economic down turn, just an assumption that the cars will always sell more and more each year. GM’s health care bill is so large that General Motors Auto cant turn a profit large enough to cover their expenses and would bankrupt if they didn’t have the money lending aspect. Also note that General Motors is a great example but the same holds true for almost every other car manufacture. In 2002 Porsche and BMW are the only manufactures to turn a true profit by selling their cars.

By 2002 the average price of a car is almost $25,000 and the price of a “nice car” is $40-50,000. The average American now has two car loans consuming one forth to one half of their monthly income. General Motors and Ford are in danger of going bankrupt, and causing unemployment in this country so large that we would go back to the 1930’s quality of life with homelessness and starvation.

The average price of a house is now in the mid hundred thousands, except in California where the median price of a house is well above $200,000. The housing banks now adopt zero down payment loans as a common practice, and the average term of a house loan is more than 30 years, with lower income families getting close to 40 year loans on average and reaching as high as 60 year loans. Also in 2002 a law is passed that a bank is no longer restricted on the interest rates it can charge for simple interest loans (the kinds of loans your house and car are bought with and the kind of loan your credit card represents). Pay Day Loan Centers open all over the nation lending money to people that could not previously borrow money from banks. The pay day loan centers start charging 200% to 600% per year interest and show normal banks that charging fees is more lucrative than charging interest. The credit card companies start sending credit card applications to people with bad credit because they can now charge enough to cover the money they lose by giving people with bad credit, new cards. The number of people who need to declare that they are bankrupt skyrockets over the edge as the people can no longer handle the house, two cars and the credit cards. Shortly after the number of bankrupt people skyrockets over the edge, the credit card companies declare that they are loosing too much money by not being able to collect from the very people they caused to go bankrupt. So a new law is passed making people unable to eliminate credit card debt by declaring bankruptcy in most situations.

In 2007 Bank of America get jealous of the payday loan centers making money off of our nations unregistered poor, and declares that they will start issuing checking accounts and credit cards to people who don’t have social security numbers. In the words of someone at www.fark.com I sarcastically state, “What could possibly go wrong?”

So today you have a working class who receives worse health care than the poor, from a dying health care system where the baby boomers will bankrupt the social security system, and that’s only regarding subject of what people need. We got into this mess because of people paying for things they want but cant afford; and don’t know they can’t afford. The reason people don’t know they can’t afford the things they want is because they are not educated about the way the current system works, and there are not enough of the right laws out there to stop the enablers (the banks, credit card companies and payday loan centers) from telling the uneducated public that the decision they are about to make will mean they cant retire and they will eventually turn into a blight upon their loved ones.

I can hear them now, the seductive words I used to whisper into the ears of hundreds of people: “It only adds a little bit to your monthly payment.” Meanwhile I would be fired for uttering, “which you will paying long past your ability to work if you buy anything else.”

Read a testimonial article

Credit card debt by state updated in real time. That plasma screen you got for Christmas with a 29% APR doesn’t look so good now.

Thanks for reading about the problem of uneducated people and credit. I will be posting details to specific parts of the problem and recommending solutions. If you have any input please speak up. When we have enough information I will post a petition for people to print and send to their congressperson. For that matter I will be proposing a curriculum to send to educators.