Colorado’s attorney general and secretary of state are asking residents to do more to check out charities before they decide to give.
“I encourage the many generous people in our state who make charitable contributions to take proper precautions before donating their hard-earned money,” Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said in a news release. “Unfortunately, scam artists sometimes create fake charities to steal from unsuspecting donors. Anyone making a charitable donation in this day and age needs to do their homework and be certain the recipient organization is legitimate.”
The state officials are citing a report, which details an AARP Foundation ElderWatch survey of 1,003 adults in Colorado that asked about their giving behavior, knowledge of legitimate charities, protection measures, concerns and experience with fraud.
The ElderWatch Foundation is a partnership between the Colorado attorney general’s office and the AARP Foundation.
The report found that 81 percent of Colorado adults ages 18 and older have made a charitable donation, but 46 percent of donors never verified the legitimacy of where they donated, and 64 percent say they didn’t ask the fundraiser how much of their donation goes to the cause.
“Colorado adults also admit they are not familiar with the secretary of state’s offices’ efforts to prevent charity fraud and protect donors,” the report states.
Chris Cash, charities program manager for the Secretary of State’s office, said the survey was conducted after he and other staff from both offices started talking about how to collaborate on outreach efforts.
Last month both offices and the ElderWatch organization held a tele-town hall on charity fraud which at peak had more than 1,000 callers on the conference.
Cash said the Secretary of State’s office is also considering an idea to collect written solicitation materials from retirement homes to learn more about what people are getting, how they’re being targeted, and how the office can help people spot fraud.
“This is ongoing,” Cash said. “It’s all part of our outreach efforts.”
According to the news release from the attorney general’s office, anyone with a question about the legitimacy of a charity operating in Colorado can go to , where they can view a charity’s detailed filings for information about the organization such as their mission, leadership, tax-exempt status, financial efficiency and the paid solicitors with whom they contract.
The Secretary of State’s Office also publishes an annual report summarizing results of all solicitation campaigns run by paid solicitors so citizens can see how much of a donation goes to a charity versus its paid solicitor, and how much of a charity’s overall spending is devoted to program services as compared with fundraising expenses and overhead costs.
