Natasha Vaughn| Albany Bureau
ALBANY -About one-third of charitable donations made in New York end up going to professional fundraisers instead of the intended charity.
The state attorney general’s annual “Pennies for Charities” report was released Tuesday, which tracks where donations given to charity go.
The report showed ongoing improvement in the money kept by the charities. In 2012, for example, the fundraising groups got the majority of the money.
“Today’s report shines a light on the high percentage of charitable dollars that too often get pocketed by outside fundraisers," Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement."Our Charities Bureau will continue to hold unscrupulous or fraudulent fundraisers accountable.”
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Last year, more than $1.2 billion was raised for charities in New York through the 987 events conducted by professional fundraisers.
Out of the amount raised, the intended charities received around $822 million. The other $403 million went to the professional fundraisers, Schneiderman's report said.
So, on average, about 67 percent of the funds raised went to the charity, and 33 percent went to the fundraisers.
The numbers are a slight improvement from 2015, when 35 percent of the money raised went to the professional fundraisers' costs.
But it's a big improvementfrom years ago.
In 2012, about 38 percent of donations went to the intended charity; and in 2013 around 48 percent of donations went to the charity.
Doug Sauer, chief executive officerof the state Council of Nonprofits, said groups and donors are better informed about how donations are collected and where the money goes, leading to better results.
"There are some fundraisers that are not paid off of a commissions-like system," he explained. "There are people who work as fundraisers that are held to certain ethical standards and don't make money based off of how much is fund-raised. They are paid a flat salary or hourly wage."
The state has 79,000 charities that are registered with the attorney general's Charity Bureau.
The report also tracks the types of fundraising being conducted throughout the state.
Traditional fundraising methods, such as direct mail and telemarketing campaigns, are slowly declining because telemarketing can be the most expensive to use, the report said.
On average, telemarketers retained about 82 percent of the proceeds. So, instead, charities are turning more to online methods, which is less expensive, Schneiderman said.
The report also lists things New Yorkers can do before making a donation, including researching the charity to see how much of their donation will actually be seen by the charity.
To research charities, visit www.charitiesnys.com.
