Duluth News Tribune | 12/01/2004 | Our View: Some charities may not be as sweet as donors think

Duluth News Tribune 12/01/2004 Our View: Some charities may not be as sweet as donors think: "Our View: Some charities may not be as sweet as donors think

Before holiday giving, check nonprofits for financial and fund-raising practices

In this season of giving, is there a finer act of charity than making a donation to the organizations representing the men and women who serve us, say, for instance, the Northland Fire, Police and Dog Officers Benevolent Society? As many donors believe, such gifts do double duty by helping to make our society safer and qualifying as a tax deduction -- a good deal for everyone, right?
Well, not necessarily. A survey of a broad range of Minnesota nonprofits indicates that money given to many charitable organizations -- even those that genuinely do very good work -- may not be going where you think it does. The listing by the St. Paul-based Charities Review Council (www.crcmn.org) gathers data from organizations from the American Red Cross to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, reporting how transparently "