Last Wednesday, the FTC and 48 states announced a nationwide sweep targeting scam artists who claimed to be raising money for military veterans, firefighters, and police officers. In reality, almost all of the money went to the fundraisers themselves. How can you, as a donor, guard against such scams, and discriminate between an honest, and a bogus charity?

Don’t get me wrong, I love quality transparency and accountability as much as the next guy – but it is these “task forces” and “nationwide sweeps” that scare the average donor away from giving to nonprofits altogether.

Here in Phoenix, a 5-day series ran in our daily paper detailing the conquests of a 22-organization network that embezzled, laundered, and otherwise stole millions of dollars. No mention about the fact that those 22 organizations represent less than one-tenth of one percent of the nonprofit agencies in Arizona alone. Or that the sector is the third largest source for employment in the state. But that didn’t stop the Pulitzer-hungry reporter from painting with the proverbial broad brush:

An Arizona Republic investigation found that charities can use a kind of title transfer of gifts in kind that inflate their finances, making their operations appear larger than they are. That improves the financial profile they present to donors in the federal charity drive and may attract more cash donations. The charities then spend most of the cash on salaries and expenses and pass the cash to other charities operated by relatives, co-workers or associates.

And again:

Donors to charities often have little say in how their cash contributions will be spent — and almost no way to find out. Despite rules that require non-profits to disclose their finances, their operators and their missions, federal tax forms give only a limited picture of a charity’s operation. At the same time, the Internal Revenue Service doesn’t have the staff to investigate more than a fraction of the nation’s 1.2 million charities. An Arizona Republic investigation shows charities can use their donated cash and goods in ways that can be misleading and controversial, and in ways donors may never know.

I feel like creepy music from a horror movie should start playing through your speakers now. Yes, there are going to be bad apples. Always. But there are responsible ways to react, and setting up a website through the Federal Trade Commission entitled, “Avoid Charity Fraud” seems a little dramatic to me.

Maybe I’m alone in this thought. What say you out there, Nonprofit Community? And you, Mr. or Ms. Donor?

Commercials aren’t always about the visuals, with the beauty being sometimes just the sound. The latest Oxfam America ad is just that, with a kynetic type treatment and the wonderful soundtrack of “Með suð í eyrum” by Sigur Rós, the Icelandic band, whose symphonic rock is always inspiring.

By ‘it,’ of course, I mean completely rethinking out our government interacts with its citizens. it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the Sunlight’s work, and this project is no different. Read The Bill is a campaign asking Congress to post bills online at least 72 hours prior to floor debate. Sounds pretty commonsense to me. Whatever political persuasion you subscribe to, it’s a pretty universal belief that lawmakers should read the bill that they are signing into law. And since we’re part of the Digital Age, why can’t us regular folk get a chance to look the legislation over, too?

In an email I received yesterday, Sunlight’s Executive Director explains why this campaign is so important:

Dear Sunlighter,

Here’s something terrifying: Congress passed the $787 billion Stimulus Bill and we’re pretty sure the people who voted on that legislation didn’t actually read it. And for sure you didn’t have a chance to look at it, either. That’s not the first time important legislation has rushed through Congress in a matter of hours. By hurrying to vote on these bills, members of Congress might miss an earmark or tax break that could have a lasting impact on you and your community.

Congress just passed the largest piece of spending legislation in history and no one Read The Bill. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again. Demand that they Read The Bill and sign our petition now:

http://www.ReadTheBill.org/petition

Read The Bill is a commonsense solution — we want Congress to post all bills online for 72 hours before they are debated. That gives members of Congress – and you – three days to read legislation and consider how it could potentially affect each of us in our daily lives. A 72-hour rule would also give you a chance to let your representative in Congress know what you like, or don’t like, about a bill before he or she votes.

Here are some examples of bills that were passed when members of Congress only had a few hours to read each one.

-TARP bailout bill (2008): rushed through Congress with few provisions for accountability

-Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008: Congress’ Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout

-PATRIOT Act (2001): rushed through Congress and, consequently, expanded the federal government’s ability to gather intelligence, engage in domestic surveillance and secret searches and detain immigrants with little restraint

Just yesterday, the House of Representatives approved a $410 billion omnibus spending bill. Unlike the Stimulus Bill, it was posted online for two days, which allowed members of Congress – and citizens, alike – to read and discuss the bill for a short period of time before it was considered in Congress. But even that is not enough. Let’s remove the disparity and uncertainty that makes some bills available while others are cloaked in secrecy. Let’s continue to allow everyone to Read The Bill for at least 72 hours before it is considered in Congress.

Help us urge Congress to take some time to Read the Bill– sign our petition today.

Thank you for your time on this important matter.

Sincerely,
Ellen Miller
Executive Director, Sunlight Foundation

P.S. For real time news and updates, you can follow Read The Bill on Twitter.

This issue has a simple solution. The Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader traditionally set the voting schedule, so all Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reid have to do is delay floor introduction 72 hours after the bill passes committee. Pretty easy, right? Pelosi could even make the call from her private jet (ZING!).

Please join me by signing the petition to post bills online 72 hours in advance of debate.

[Source: Osocio]

[Source: Social Design Notes]

Talk about an effective appeal. Waterkeeping isn’t necessarily the “sexiest” cause out there (motto: “Bacteria Testing: Culture Yourself”), but the Milwaukee Riverkeepers manage to make the issue relevant. By hitting on the deliverable – clean water – the meat of their work becomes more interesting. Honestly, before you saw the dirty water slide how likely were you to participate in Water Quality Monitoring? Just saying…