Paid charity fundraisers keep about half of proceeds

Paid charity fundraisers keep about half of proceeds: "Paid charity fundraisers keep about half of proceeds

By CURT WOODWARD
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Companies that collect for charities in Washington state kept about half the money they raised nationwide last year, an annual report from the secretary of state says.

Charitable donations funneled through paid fundraisers registered in the state totaled more than $444 million nationally in the most recent fiscal year data for those companies, according to the survey released Tuesday.

That's the highest revenue total recorded in the past 10 years by Washington's secretary of state, who registers commercial fundraisers and collects some of their financial information."