S.C. Secretary of State Mark Hammond has announced the 13th annual list of Scrooges and Angels for the holiday season.

The list is intended to serve as a guide for charitable giving, honoring organizations that direct a high percentage of donations to program goals, and singling out organizations that spend the least on their program goals or use paid solicitors extensively.

Charities from across South Carolina and the United States were named to the lists.

The Angels, which are not ranked, are listed below in alphabetical order with the percentage of money spent on program activities:

Organization Location Percent:

• Animal Protection League of S.C. Inc. Hopkins 93.5%
• Careteam Inc. Myrtle Beach 95.8%
• Carson Scholars Fund Inc. Baltimore 88.1%
• Country Santa Pickens 99.3%
• Experience Works Inc. Arlington, Va. 92.5%
• Fatherhood & Families Engagement Florence 93.3%
• Golden Harvest Food Bank Inc. Augusta, Ga. 95.0%
• Historic Charleston Foundation Charleston 85.6%
• NAMI of South Carolina Columbia 87.2%
• Outreach Farm, Inc. Pawleys Island 98.8%

Angels were selected by review of financial reports submitted annually to the Secretary of State’s Office. Criteria considered include that the charity:

1. Must have been established for at least three years.
2. Has collected revenue greater than $20,000.
3. 80% or more of the revenue must go toward the charities’ program goals.
4. Makes good use of volunteer labor.
5. Receives minimal funding in grants.

The Scrooges and the percentage of revenues that went toward program activities are:

Organization Location Percent:

• American Police & Sheriff’s Association Chepachet, R.I. 12.7%
• Cancer Assistance Network Gig Harbor, Wash. 24.0
• Children’s Cancer Fund of America Inc. Powell, Tenn. 14.4%
• Committee for Missing Children Inc. Lawrenceville, Ga. 10.2%
• Dakota Indian Foundation Inc. Chamberlain, S.Dak. 17.8%
• Disabled Police Officers of America Inc. Niceville, Fla. 11.4%
• Dogs Against Drugs/Dogs Against Crime Anderson, Ind. 10.3%
• Firefighters Charitable Foundation Farmingdale, N.Y. 11.1%
• Foundation for American Veterans Inc. West Bloomfield, Mich. 7.6%
• National Vietnam Veterans Foundation Inc. Alexandria, Va. 11.3%

Criteria for the designation of Scrooge were that the charity:

Had given 40% or less of the revenue to its program goals.
Collected revenue greater than $20,000.
Had many complaints filed against it.
Spent a large amount of money on the use of professional fundraisers rather than volunteers.
“Due to the slowdown in our economy, charitable solicitations across the state have increased largely because more and more people are in need of assistance,” Hammond said. “South Carolina is one of the most generous states in the nation and always answers the call when it comes to defending and helping the less fortunate.

“But we must be mindful of the fact that there are those who would take advantage of this economy and our generosity. So I ask that you check out any organization before you contribute your hard-earned money. One of my duties as Secretary of State is to make the public aware of ‘Scrooge’ charities that take advantage of our giving spirit.”

To find out more about charitable organizations, visit the Secretary of State WebSite and select the “Charity Search” button, or call the office’s Charities Division at 1-888-CHARITI (242-7484).



Why would I put this on my WebSite? That’s easy, how many times during the year have we all had a phone call from a charity asking for money? You do know that Charities are not included in the “do not call list” by the law, right? Before you pull out your credit or debit card to help out a charity. Please go by the Secretary of States WebSite to see if they are licensed to do business in South Carolina, and how much of the money you are giving goes toward the actual programs goals.

You may be surprised!!

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