Registered charities in Colorado have done a good job in spending a relatively small portion of donations to raise funds, Colorado officials said Thursday.
The 2007 Annual Report on Charitable Solicitations in Colorado showed that all registered charities spent an average $10.30 to raise $100, said Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman at a news conference.
He said this is “relatively good by industry standards.”
However, telephone campaigns employing paid solicitors cost $51.33 for every $100 raised, Coffman added. “While this is cause for concern, potential donors should keep in mind that donations raised over the phone account for less than 5 percent of all donations by registered charities, and that only 224 out of 5,000 charities used paid solicitors in 2007.”
Coffman added that the vast majority of charities are using donations by Coloradans “efficiently and compassionately.”
Coffman was joined by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, who warned that, especially at this time of the year, people should be leery of con artists trying to get money through fraudulent solicitations.
Howard Pankratz, The Denver Post
