"The Waterbury Connecticut Republican American Newspaper"

"The Waterbury Connecticut Republican American Newspaper": "Sunshine on solicitors

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Copyright � 2005 Republican-American

Paid solicitors have been preying on the generosity of Connecticut residents for years, making off with as much as 65 cents of every dollar contributed to worthy causes.

Efforts by consumer-protection officials, the attorney general's office and the legislature to alert potential donors to the guileful tactics of paid solicitors have produced mixed results. A lot of people still respond magnanimously to telephone solicitations, often blissfully unaware that most of their money ends up in the solicitors' bank accounts with dimes on the dollar actually reaching the intended beneficiary. ow a new law that will make the whole process more transparent has some nonprofits worried that contributors will be scared off. Their concern is unfounded."