Professional fundraisers pocketed $328 million ? or 57 cents of every dollar ? donated to charities across the state last year, according to a report by the state Attorney General?s office.
Attorney General Martha M. Coakley said the findings of her office?s annual charity review underscore the perils of donating to charities that hire for-profit fundraising companies to conduct public appeals.
Based on a survey of 600-plus campaigns, charities received just 43 percent of the money raised in their names during 2009; the balance went to fundraising companies to pay salaries, rent, office expenses and other costs involved in the campaigns, Coakley said.
?I encourage donors to give generously, but also remind them to do their homework,? said Coakley, whose office oversees 21,249 registered charities and 75 professional fundraising companies.
?Never hesitate to ask questions about where your money is going and remember that you can send a donation directly to a charity to ensure the largest percentage of your donation goes to the charity?s cause,? she said.
