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

And those VietNow Chapters? What of Them?

Ruth McCambridge
November 13, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
Image Source: Airman st Class Cody Miller/Released

November 7th, 2017; Rock River Times 

When NPQ reported last week that the National Headquarters of VietNow was shuttered in a settlement with 25 state attorneys general, we did not discuss the organization’s chapters, which are incorporated separately. But before we address those, we want to remind readers of the financial picture at VietNow that resulted in the closing. In 2016, according to its own 990, it spent $1,423,520 to raise $1,676,134, leaving $251,420 for administrative and program expenses and in that equation, administrative costs was the clear winner.

But is that the end of the story? Now Darrell Gilgan, treasurer of the Rockford Charter Chapter, says that the local VietNow chapters will carry on. “VietNow was started right here in Rockford during 1980,” Gilgan told the Rock River Times on Tuesday. “When VietNow went national during 1984, we became Rockford Charter Chapter.” He stressed that the money that the chapters have is all raised from and distributed to the local communities and that none of them use telemarketing.

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.

“The chapter will easily be able to survive without (the) national headquarters,” he said. “In fact, most if not all of the other chapters will be able to continue.”

Gilgan says that he has been helping the other chapters sever ties with the national foundation for the last two years. The only problem is that there is little immediate transparency for most of those chapters. A quick look at the 15 listings for chapters at GuideStar showed only two returns that did not show $0 revenue. Those listed as having no revenue are all listed as required only to file a 990 N, and those must be uploaded by the organization in question to Guidestar, if the organization so opts. This presumably means that the group has revenues of less than $50,000. As it turns out, the two that do list their chapters have revenues well under $50,000.

But small or large, these chapters might consider that a moment like this might require a more transparency than mere compliance requires. We might suggest that they, and any others of you who want to observe respectful transparency for your donors, go ahead and upload that 990 N to Guidestar.—Ruth McCambridge

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ruth McCambridge

Ruth is Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.

More about: charity scamsfraudFundraisingManagement and LeadershipNonprofit NewsVeteransveterans charities

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
Hierarchy and Justice
Cyndi Suarez
Salvadoran Foreign Agent Law Threatens Human Rights Movements
Devon Kearney
Charitable Tax Reform: Why Half Measures Won’t Curb Plutocracy
Alan Davis
Healing-Centered Leadership: A Path to Transformation
Shawn A. Ginwright
Into the Fire: Lessons from Movement Conflicts
Ingrid Benedict, Weyam Ghadbian and Jovida Ross
How Nonprofits Can Truly Advance Change
Hildy Gottlieb

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
February 23rd, 2 pm ET

Worker Power in the Social Sector

Register Now
Group Created with Sketch.
March 15th, 2 pm ET

Remaking the Economy

Caring for the Care Economy

Register Now
You might also like
Hierarchy and Justice
Cyndi Suarez
Salvadoran Foreign Agent Law Threatens Human Rights...
Devon Kearney
Charitable Tax Reform: Why Half Measures Won’t Curb...
Alan Davis

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.