Need to vent(long) - People who try to make money off others tragedy

[AntePrincess]

I just wanted to speak up about the Red Cross and Hurricane Sandy: myself and my family were personally helped by the Red Cross when we lost power and water.

They came to our town and distributed cases of water. They went door to door in our community to speak to people, double check which houses had power, making sure people were accounted for, etc. As I understand it, they provided hot food, water, and transportation to our large elderly population who depend on the town senior citizen center for daily meals. Those things cost a lot of money and have nothing to do with restoring people to housing. Because of them, our town had no fatalities despite the large at risk elderly population that was susceptible to hypothermia in those frigid days. I have nothing but respect for the Red Cross and make donations to them.

 

[princess barbara]

I thought the football players pink gear were then auctioned off to the highest bidder via the web and the money raised then went to research.

 

[NYCDiane]

I don't understand why the Red Cross gets such a bad rap because people still don't have homes. The Red Cross is in no way involved in home replacement. I feel for those people but they are criticizing the wrong group IMO.

How does anyone get their directions directly to the people affected? Unless you personally go out there and hand it to someone, I don't see how that can happen.

People donated BILLIONS of dollars in response to Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy. I know the Red Cross was on hand, giving out water, blankets, food, and transportation.

All of what they did was done for a lot less than the billions people donated.

So, what happened to all that extra money??? That money should have been utilized to help people reubuild or get new housing. Many, many houses were completely destroyed. Other people were renters who now have no place to go. Others homes were water damaged and have to be rebuilt. Why not use the money for that??

 

[Colleen27]

I thought the football players pink gear were then auctioned off to the highest bidder via the web and the money raised then went to research.

I'm pretty sure that's the case. I know that's what happens with the pink bats the MLB uses for Mothers' Day, and the ending price of all those auctions of game-used items is much higher than any direct donation the league would consider making.

 

[Colleen27]

I don't have a problem with businesses selling "awareness" items at a profit. If you don't like the practice, don't buy them... I don't. I do think that when using "a portion of proceeds benefit..." companies should disclose exactly what percentage they're donating, but again I think that's something that it is up to the buyer to investigate if they care. A lot of times I don't think it really matters how low the percentage is to most buyers - they're buying something they'd get anyway or that they like the look of, and the charitable connection is a bonus rather than a selling point.

I absolutely despise the home-sales companies, though! I agree with you that it is preying on friendship to make money and I've ended a friendship over it because I just couldn't have a normal relationship with a friend who was constantly trying to sell to me. I don't care if they are putting a token charitable spin on their product, I'm just not interested in social selling in any shape or form.

 

[AntePrincess]

People donated BILLIONS of dollars in response to Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy. I know the Red Cross was on hand, giving out water, blankets, food, and transportation.

All of what they did was done for a lot less than the billions people donated.

So, what happened to all that extra money??? That money should have been utilized to help people reubuild or get new housing. Many, many houses were completely destroyed. Other people were renters who now have no place to go. Others homes were water damaged and have to be rebuilt. Why not use the money for that??

Actually, the best figures I've seen for money donated to the Red Cross around Sandy were about $300 million, with around $80 million earmarked for Hurricane Sandy itself. Plus it takes weeks for that Sandy special money to roll in, so the Red Cross was working out of its pocketbook, so to speak. Money not earmarked specifically for Sandy was put in its general hurricane relief fund, which is the same fund that the money to help in Sandy initially came out of it.

In Mantoloking alone more than $300 million worth of homes were destroyed, so I don't have the first clue how the Red Cross could have rebuilt after Sandy even if that was in their mandate (it's not, they're an emergency response program just like FEMA, neither exists to make people whole again after a disaster), yet they DID house people out of their funds in numerous shelters.

If the complaint is that they weren't more organized on the ground, it's the same problem as in Haiti: their local offices were effected by the storm and the offices able to respond were further away. Besides which they were spread out across multiple states and people complain that they couldn't do more than drop off supplies to organizations already in the communities? I suppose they ought to have reinvented the wheel or not coordinated with the local chain of command.

I'm not a Red Cross apologist, I'm a former first responder who has been helped by the Red Cross in doing my job and I'm someone that respects the safeguards we have for keeping an eye on charities. Every reputable factchecker I've ever seen has reported that the Red Cross is one of the lowest overhead charities out there, that's good enough for me.

PS One of the reasons they did so poorly in Haiti was that Haiti did not have surviving programs in place like we have through the FEMA chain of command. Same with Katrina, since that was where most of the motive to get that chain of command going came from.

 

[NYCDiane]

I have nothing against the RC or any other legit non profit that is helping people. Where I have the problem is when people are donating money, they have concerts on TV to raise money, etc and you never hear or read exactly where that money is going or where the excess is going

 

[rockawaybeachgirl]

Actually, the best figures I've seen for money donated to the Red Cross around Sandy were about $300 million, with around $80 million earmarked for Hurricane Sandy itself. Plus it takes weeks for that Sandy special money to roll in, so the Red Cross was working out of its pocketbook, so to speak. Money not earmarked specifically for Sandy was put in its general hurricane relief fund, which is the same fund that the money to help in Sandy initially came out of it.

In Mantoloking alone more than $300 million worth of homes were destroyed, so I don't have the first clue how the Red Cross could have rebuilt after Sandy even if that was in their mandate (it's not, they're an emergency response program just like FEMA, neither exists to make people whole again after a disaster), yet they DID house people out of their funds in numerous shelters.

If the complaint is that they weren't more organized on the ground, it's the
same problem as in Haiti: their local offices were effected by the storm and the offices able to respond were further away. Besides which they were spread out across multiple states and people complain that they couldn't do more than drop off supplies to organizations already in the communities? I suppose they ought to have reinvented the wheel or not coordinated with the local chain of command.

I'm not a Red Cross apologist, I'm a former first responder who has been helped by the Red Cross in doing my job and I'm someone that respects the safeguards we have for keeping an eye on charities. Every reputable factchecker I've ever seen has reported that the Red Cross is one of the lowest overhead charities out there, that's good enough for me.

PS One of the reasons they did so poorly in Haiti was that Haiti did not have surviving programs in place like we have through the FEMA chain of command. Same with Katrina, since that was where most of the motive to get that chain of command going came from.

I certainly do not expect Red Cross to rebuild houses- that is not their mission. I think the PP's point was that people expect more for the millions donated then a cheese sandwich and a blanket.

And while I don't excpect super- human efforts, for a charity so well- funded, they were shockingly disorganized and uninformed. Contrast that to the efforts of Team Rubicon( who deploy and organize with military precision), Occupy Sandy, or even some local organizations. My town has a local 501c3 group called the Greybeards who have raised and fully distributed over $1 million. Another local 501c3, WISH of Rockaway, organized and ran a community store from a local club funded solely with donated goods.

Point is, if you're going to put yourself out as the face of fundraising efforts, you have some expectionsnto meet. The Red Cross didntneven come close.

 

[angwill]

I am just so sick of this - I need to vent. I wish I could post this on Facebook, but several of my FB "Friends" are guilty of this and I might be shunned....

I am so tired of people trying to make a buck off others illnesses or tragedies. I have one fb friend who has started a company that sells "jewery" with pink ribbons for breast cancer or blue ribbons for prostate cancer - any cancer she can exploit she does. It isn't even really jewery - she buys the beads and strings them, that is a craft to me, not really the art of jewlery making. Anyway - the woman is a cancer survivor herself, and she really is a nice person - she just doesn't see what she is doing the way I do. She decided to start a business that would also help cancer victims. She gives a "portion" of profits to cancer research. A tiny portion - like 1%. She still makes enough money off people being "aware" of cancer to make it her full time job. Unless someone is giving every penny to charity I think its wrong to exploint the "awareness" ribbons etc. It is really sickening to me. Don't even get me started on what the "pink ribbon" has become. All that does is make a ton of money for companies and a tiny bit for research.

I have another friend that has started selling T-Shirts to give cancer victims hope. They have sayings on them like "I will be strong" etc. I don't think one penny of the proceeds go to any charity. She is just giving cancer victims "hope" and "strength" - and expoiting the hell out of their illness to make a buck.

What is shocking is how common place this seems and that they have audacity to do this.

Yesterday I saw the worst yet however. One of my FB friends is an Arbonne salesperson. Now - first I hate these typle of companies to begin with. The Sipdas, the Cookie Lees, the Arbonnes, the Pampered Chefs etc. They prey on peoples friendships to make money. If you have to buy something everytime they are invited to someones house, that is not a friendship. I never go to these anymore because you feel pressured to buy something to thank your host for having you. If I want jewlery, I can go to anystore in town or order from a catalog or the internet, I don't need to wait to be invited to a "friends home" so they can get free jewery for giving me a glass of wine and some chips.

These are shameless companies to begin with - but what I saw yesterday from this Arbonne salesperson was the height of indecency. She is soliting "donations" to put Arbonne carepacks together for the tornado victims in OK. SO basically, instead of just donating your $25 straight to RedCross or a reputable charity that will use all the money to help - she takes your $25 and it buys a little tiny sample size hand cream, an organic bug spray, and a tiny sample size expensive suncreen. and she will send these little "care packages" that will "sooth" the victims to some church in OK. At Christmas she did the same thing and took peoples donations to put together Arbonne care packs for the Elderly in nursing homes. It was $25 for a handlotion and a candy cane in a crappy coffee cup. Then she plastered what a good samaritian she was all over facebook because she visited the elderly to hand them out. Now - visiting the home was nice - but she could have done that with out soliciting money from friends and making a profit off every gift. Now she is doing it for OK. So you donate $25 to feel good about doing something for the victims, and she gets a cut of it, Arbonne get a HUGE cut. And the victims after cost of shipping get like a $1.00 worth of overpriced crap that they won't even have a a place to put it because the don't have HOMES. That is not charity. That is using someones tragedy make a profit. I think someone brought this up to her - so now she says she will also donate her profits to the cause.

Arbonne is promoting this with all of their salespeople - so many others aren't donating thier profits. It is still wrong, because not only is Arbonne profiting still but the salesperson is still raising her numbers to get toward that next trip she is still trying to earn. Still at the expense of the victims tragedy. It is double wrong that it is taking all this money that could have gone straight to victims and is sending this crap instead. Horrible. Why doesn't Arbonne just donate these products if they want to do something good? Then I might take them a little seriously. These salespeople always seem like such desperate and brainwashed people. They have been so brainwashed by Arbonne to think they are doing something good for people .

Why can't people think for themselves?

I agree but do understand Red Cross, United way and any other organization do not put 100% toward the people in need. They have overhead, administrative and employee costs (some of their employees make many, many times more than the average person who donates.) If you donate directly to the people or organization in need like meals on wheels as and example they can then spend 100% of the donation on their own overhead.

 

[reagansmommy]

The most frustrating for me is the NFL in October. Players have pink shoes, towels, gloves, sidelines and endzones are painted, etc. Seriously--why doesn't the NFL DONATE THE MONEY TO RESEARCH instead of everyone wearing all the pink. For awareness, all they have to do is have their broadcasters mention it while they broadcast the games. Makes me furious!

Well they do auction off the game worn items and the proceeds go to charity. So at least some money is going to the cause.

 

[midwestdee]

Here is another "scam" IMO - you go to Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, etc.... and they hit you up at the register "for the troop", for heart disease, cancer, St. Jude's etc.... So all those people barely getting by give a buck out of the kindness of their heart and the giant corporation writes it of their taxes!!!! I got fed up - I NEVER fall for that. Walgreens is particularly annoying - they want you to buy nuts, gum, candy for the troops - they are a disgrace. God knows our troops deserve our support - but give it directly folks - don't give Walgreens ANOTHER tax write off.

 

[Burnedout]

Here is another "scam" IMO - you go to Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, etc.... and they hit you up at the register "for the troop", for heart disease, cancer, St. Jude's etc.... So all those people barely getting by give a buck out of the kindness of their heart and the giant corporation writes it of their taxes!!!! I got fed up - I NEVER fall for that. Walgreens is particularly annoying - they want you to buy nuts, gum, candy for the troops - they are a disgrace. God knows our troops deserve our support - but give it directly folks - don't give Walgreens ANOTHER tax write off.

Eh, it makes it easy for people to give. It is far easier to do it through them than it is to remember to research., buy and mail. The tax write off for my nuts isn't going to ever Happen anyway.

I also happily give a buck to st Jude's, make a wish and Children's miracle network and say a "thank you" to them every time I come across them. And donate my change to the Ronald McDonald house. Those are the extras in giving. I don't give to any charities just for the write offs.

 

[krcit]

I certainly do not expect Red Cross to rebuild houses- that is not their mission. I think the PP's point was that people expect more for the millions donated then a cheese sandwich and a blanket.

And while I don't excpect super- human efforts, for a charity so well- funded, they were shockingly disorganized and uninformed. Contrast that to the efforts of Team Rubicon( who deploy and organize with military precision), Occupy Sandy, or even some local organizations. My town has a local 501c3 group called the Greybeards who have raised and fully distributed over $1 million. Another local 501c3, WISH of Rockaway, organized and ran a community store from a local club funded solely with donated goods.

Point is, if you're going to put yourself out as the face of fundraising efforts, you have some expectionsnto meet. The Red Cross didntneven come close.

I have a bunch of friends displaced and affected by Sandy (I was lucky and just lost power for a week) and besides a couple of sandwiches, none of them was helped by the Red Cross. A friend of mine organized and started a group to help demo houses within 24 hours..his little charity helped and continues to help more families than any other charities. I have friends who lost homes and businesses and not one has seen a dime other than insurance. Where is all the money collected at the concert? I will only give directly to people now. In fact, a friend of mine has a truck going to OK next week. I will send gift cards with her because I know they will go right into the hands of people who need them.

 

[kkandaj]

Well they do auction off the game worn items and the proceeds go to charity. So at least some money is going to the cause.

That is good to know, though I wonder how the cost vs. donation evens out. I'm sure not every player on the team gets top dollar for their items. I truly hope a bunch of money is raised through this auction process!

 

[talulabelle]

People donated BILLIONS of dollars in response to Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy. I know the Red Cross was on hand, giving out water, blankets, food, and transportation.

All of what they did was done for a lot less than the billions people donated.

So, what happened to all that extra money??? That money should have been utilized to help people reubuild or get new housing. Many, many houses were completely destroyed. Other people were renters who now have no place to go. Others homes were water damaged and have to be rebuilt. Why not use the money for that??

The reason it takes so long to rebuild is because of the red tape with insurance companies. Red Cross doesn't rebuild homes for people , esp if they have house insurance. What they will do is provide mobile homes at no charge while people are waiting for the nasty insurance companies to get through all of their red tape and pay up. They will also try to provide clothing and nessesary items to get people back on their feet. They are all amount emergency supplies and shelter in the gap of time before someone can get back on their feet. It would take 100's of millions to provide this for Sandy victims. They are disaster RELIEF not disaster rebuilders.

 

[akcire]

First anytime a new disaster happens, and I feel compelled to donate. I try to donate to a local branch of a charity I have previously investigated. For example, here in IL I volunteer and donate to Ronald McDonald House. A very high percent 90 goes directly to families and programs. I understand and accept that the other 10 percent goes to staff salary, rent, lights, paper, computers. There is no way to successfully do business without these costs. Unless a charity is going to collect money then throw it out a car window.

When this tornado hit I looked up the nearest Ronald McDonald House and sent a donation to the Oklahoma City House. This money will be used to help their regular program and cover extra expenses that result from tornado families. I suppose instead I could have randomly picked an address in Moore and mailed a $50 bill so I could directly provide for the victims. Of course I could also end up sending my money to a past powerball winner who decidedly did not need the money.

If you are inclined to donate you must pick a reputable charity, expect and accept normal operational expenses, and let the money go. Just because people work for charities does not mean they don't deserve a fair wage. Charities need many professional employees, know any accountants with Mba's willing to work for minimum wage?

Back to the op's original post I'm definitely not a fan of anyone marketing in the name of any charity and I will ask specifically what the charity gets from my purchase. My last experience with this was a newspaper salesperson using Mooseheart's (a residential children's charity) name. When confronted the salesperson advised from my $200 purchase they would get .25. I told the guy I'd rather give money directly to the charity. I feel the same about Boy Scout popcorn. When they sell Christmas wreaths I buy one, when the neighbor kid brings the popcorn form I give him $10 for his troop and tell him no popcorn.

 

[Planogirl]

The reason it takes so long to rebuild is because of the red tape with insurance companies. Red Cross doesn't rebuild homes for people , esp if they have house insurance. What they will do is provide mobile homes at no charge while people are waiting for the nasty insurance companies to get through all of their red tape and pay up. They will also try to provide clothing and nessesary items to get people back on their feet. They are all amount emergency supplies and shelter in the gap of time before someone can get back on their feet. It would take 100's of millions to provide this for Sandy victims. They are disaster RELIEF not disaster rebuilders.

The Red Cross is also working all over the world and not just in one area.

These organizations are constantly scrutinized which is why the United Way got so much bad press. I have never seen any numbers that show that the Red Cross is frittering money away. Plus since they don't rebuild homes, I can't criticize them for not doing that. I'll continue to donate to them until I see anything concrete.

 

[Sagginit]

i read an article about this last year in marie claire. they called this out and said that a lot of the products with pink ribbons on them...... hardly contribute anything and sometimes nothing. basically they said if you want to support make a direct donation.

i always research before i choose a charity. i stopped donating to unicef last year b/c after not donating for a period of time they sold my info to a third party who harassed me calling several times a day to get a donation. i was furious that i was being treated like i was a debtor simply for not making a donation for a while. i chose a new one and guess what? they sent me an email to thank me and let me know my funds were used for X recent project. they will continue to get my support.

the other thing that really peeved me is i knew a family who had a parent pass away. friends and family organized a fundraiser for the children's college fund. i would have no issue with this normally as i know others who have done this, but the family owns 4 homes and i know the rentals were bought a long time ago and bring in a profit each month. if you really need to send them to college sell a house, don't ask your friends to pay for it. on top of it, it was not a make a donation in the memory of for.... it was a real party type event, save that money for the cause then

 

[angwill]

The reason it takes so long to rebuild is because of the red tape with insurance companies. Red Cross doesn't rebuild homes for people , esp if they have house insurance. What they will do is provide mobile homes at no charge while people are waiting for the nasty insurance companies to get through all of their red tape and pay up. They will also try to provide clothing and nessesary items to get people back on their feet. They are all amount emergency supplies and shelter in the gap of time before someone can get back on their feet. It would take 100's of millions to provide this for Sandy victims. They are disaster RELIEF not disaster rebuilders.

When I volunteered for the Red Cross we were all about emergency supplies as you said. We would go to house fires and record the names and info of the people effected. We would find out what they needed and give them sweat suits, toothpaste and brushes, hair items like shampoo, combs etc the necessities. RC worked with local hotels and would give them vouchers they would take to put them up in if they had nowhere to go. If they didn't have money RC would give vouchers for restaurants too. If they needed shoes we gave them vouchers for payless or if they needed glasses or contacts replaced or any medical supplies that would be taken care of as well. They were record keepers and emergency supplies providers.

 

[teller80]

I posted this on the Community Board the other day, so forgive me rehashing the topic. But since it pertains directly to this subject, I thought I'd post it again. There was a school shooting in February, 2012, at Chardon High School. Over $900,000 was collected by the United Way, but apparently much of it has yet to be distributed, at least thats what I understand the lawsuit to be about. In any case, it certainly made me think about these type of fundraisers. I assumed money collected would go for funeral expenses & unreimbursed medical bills, but I never thought about the rest of the money. Should it only go to the families of children who were killed or physically injured? Or should it benefit kids who were traumatized too? Maybe a scholarship for those kids should have been set up?

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/oh_geauga/chardon-high-school-shooting-victims-families-sue-united-way-over-chardon-healing-fund

CHARDON, Ohio - The families of the three teens killed in the Chardon High School shooting last year are suing the United Way.
On Feb. 27, 2012, TJ Lane opened fire in the school’s cafeteria, killing Daniel Parmertor, 16; Demetrius Hewlin, 17, and Russell King Jr., 17. Lane pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Less than 24 hours after the shooting, the Chardon Healing Fund was created to benefit the victims’ families. On the day the fund was announced, Chardon Local Schools Superintendent Joe Bergant said 100 percent of the money raised would go to helping those directly affected by the tragedy.
But court documents filed in Geauga County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday claim the families have received a small fraction of the money.
“A total $952,000 has been donated to the Trust and the total amount received by all of the Plaintiffs is less than $150,000. In other words, only about 15% of the Trust has been collectively distributed to Plaintiffs,” the suit said.
In February, board members of the Chardon Healing Fund told NewsChannel5 that nearly half of the $952,000 collected had been given to the six families affected by the shooting.
The defendants named in the suit are the United Way of Greater Cleveland, the United Way of Geauga County and the Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services. The suit said the United Way set aside up to $250,000 for mental health services from the board of health.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is also named. While his office would not comment on the pending litigation, they added that if a lawsuit deals with changes to a charitable account, then the attorney general’s office becomes a “necessary party.”
According to court documents, the families requested money from the Chardon Healing Fund, which is maintained by the United Way, but those requests were denied.
On Monday, the United Way said the Chardon Healing Fund was created to help with long-term recovery of the Chardon High School community. The organization also said the fund has been managed "in an open and transparent manner."
"All of the funds, 100%, are going to meet the charitable mission of the Chardon Healing Fund to benefits the healing of the community. The fund distributed more than $417,000 to the six families of children killed or injured by the tragedy. This includes paying bills, making home modifications and providing counseling and supportive services as needed," the United Way said.
The group said the specific uses of the money are confidential. [Read the full statement here: ***************/10SBL4J ]
In the lawsuit, the families said they want a list of all the requests for funds and whether they were approved, money distributed in accordance with the Chardon Healing Fund’s intended purpose and the United Way suspended from managing the account.


Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/lo...d-way-over-chardon-healing-fund#ixzz2UCjP2C49