logo
Donate
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
    • Glossary
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Magazine
  • Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

Nonprofit Newswire | Feed the Children: Donations Increase Even as Organization’s Problems Exposed

Ruth McCambridge
April 26, 2010

April 23, 2010; The Oklahoman | Donations were up at Oklahoma-based Feed the Children for the year ending June 30, 2009 despite a series of high profile questions of accountability that led the American Institute of Philanthropy to name FC as the “Most Outrageous Charity” of the year in 2009. The organization’s problems are often characterized as the result of a power struggle between founder Larry Jones and his daughter. Contributions, according to the group’s 990 report, totaled $1.192 billion which constituted a $14 million dollar increase over the year previous. Cash donations, however, totaled a bit over $123 million of which $63 million was spent on fundraising. According to AIP which had some scathing things to say on its website about their fellow watchdog organizations with regards to this charity, “Based on FC’s most recently available financial statements for fiscal 2008, only 21 to 23 percent of its cash budget was spent on program services and $63 to $65 was spent to raise each $100 cash contribution. In 2008 about 54% of FC’s cash budget of $125 million was spent on “television and radio,” “direct mail,” and “direct mail postage” according to its audit of the same year.” It will be interesting to see what happens with their fundraising this year in the wake of the November firing of the 68 year old Larry Jones (after he had, according to his board, bugged three of the organization’s offices among other things). Will the proportion of its budget spent on its very lucrative fundraising change, for instance? Subsequent to Jones’ separation (after 3 decades of service), FC has continued to be in the news with legal suits by former board members, charges leveled by Jones against the organization, and an investigative report by CBS news that claimed FC had overstated its aid to earthquake damaged Haiti.—Ruth McCambridge

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.

{source}
[[script  src=”http://feeds.feedburner.com/nonprofitquarterly/newsroundup?format=sigpro” type=”text/javascript” ]][[/script]]
{/source}

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: Nonprofit News

Our Voices Are Our Power.

Journalism, nonprofits, and multiracial democracy are under attack. At NPQ, we fight back by sharing stories and essential insights from nonprofit leaders and workers—and we pay every contributor.

Can you help us protect nonprofit voices?

Your support keeps truth alive when it matters most.
Every single dollar makes a difference.

Donate now
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

You might also like
Advocates Mobilize to Stave Off Cuts to Federal Student Loan Programs
Marian Conway
How to Reduce Economic Inequality by Expanding Employee Ownership
Julie Menter and Alison Lingane
As Neoliberalism Crashes, What Comes Next?
Steve Dubb
Why the Threats Against Nonprofit Tax Status Are Unprecedented
Rebekah Barber
How Are Foundations Responding to Federal Cuts?
Rebekah Barber
Tax Provision Would Give Trump Administration Unilateral Power to Strip Nonprofit Status
Rebekah Barber and Isaiah Thompson

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
May 27th, 2:00 pm ET

Ask the Nonprofit Lawyer

Register
Group Created with Sketch.
June 26th, 2:00 pm ET

From Performance Management to Mutual Commitment

Fostering a Culture of Joyful Accountability

Register

    
You might also like
US Capitol Building
Tax Provision Would Give Trump Administration Unilateral...
Rebekah Barber and Isaiah Thompson
A piggy bank wearing a graduation hat and standing on a pile of cash, symbolizing how endowments for academic institutions can be accessed in difficult times.
Endowments Aren’t Blank Checks—but Universities Can Rely...
Ellen P. Aprill
Saving AmeriCorps: What’s at Stake and Why We Must Act Now
Hillary Kane

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.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Donate
  • Editorial Policy
  • Funders

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.