logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

Amid Scandal Keep Giving is the Message in Massachusetts

Nancy Knoche
March 29, 2011
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

March 27, 2011; Source: CapeCodOnline.com | The Cape Cod, Mass., charity Touched by Angels asked residents to open up their hearts and wallets to support struggling neighbors. Now, the president of the organization has been accused of mishandling funds, and the 30,000 nonprofits throughout the state fear a decline in donor trust and support.

President Gina Clark of Marston Mills has been indicted on charges of fraud, embezzlement and labor violations after she stole tens of thousands of dollars meant for 15 families who had just lost a loved one or were in financial stress. According to the state attorney general, Clark kept most of the funds raised through local charity events, with families receiving as little as $50 to $200 after being promised more.

Clark is also accused of failing to pay employees and threatening donors when they stopped making regular donations.

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Leaders in the state’s nonprofit sector are concerned this will cause donors to lose faith, according to Stephen Pratt, co-founder of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. Pratt said that 12 percent of state employees work for nonprofits. “Our state depends heavily on generosity to charities,” he noted.

“This is very rare, and shouldn’t besmirch other nonprofits.” Elizabeth Gawron, president of the Cape Cod Foundation said regarding the Touched by Angels scandal. “At the same time, it is disheartening to have this happen on Cape Cod, where there are so many in need.”

Pratt encourages donors to review a charity’s tax forms filed with the state. He also emphasized that donors need to look at a charity’s longevity and use common sense. He added, “But keep giving.”—Nancy Knoche

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

NPQ_Winter_2022Subscribe Today
You might also like
Remaking the Economy: Caring for the Care Economy
Steve Dubb, Adria Powell and Jenn Stowe
Race, Class, and Climate: Organizing for a Better Future in Pueblo, Colorado
Jamie Valdez
Faith as a Pathway to Climate Action
Anmol Irfan
Countering Authoritarianism: Forging a Progressive Response to Fragmentation
john a. powell and Sara Grossman
America’s Broken Safety Net—and How to Address It: An Interview with Alissa Quart
Steve Dubb and Alissa Quart
New York Brings Power to the People
Johanna Bozuwa

NPQ Webinars

April 27th, 2 pm ET

Liberatory Decision-Making

How to Facilitate and Engage in Healthy Decision-making Processes

Register Now
You might also like
Is Doing Business with AARP a Bad Deal?
Nancy Knoche
9/11 Charities Hope to Open Hearts and Wallets
Nancy Knoche
Bloomberg Spreads the Wealth to Fellow Big-City Mayors
Nancy Knoche and Rick Cohen

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.