Wouldn't you like to buy "____" to support this charity?

By Andrew Ehinger

    Sometimes they may come to your house. Sometimes they may approach you on the street or in a parking lot. Typically it's hard to say no, but sometimes you have to wonder... "If I buy something from a person saying they are going to give the proceeds to charity, is it really going to that cause? Or is it going into that person's pocket?" Call me a jaded New Yorker, but I think many times it does go into that person's pocket. But I have asked around and many tell me I'm wrong although there are some scammers out there.

I started thinking about that today when I was told to investigate the case of a 22 year old Marquis Felton. He was arrested Tuesday for getting a group of kids - some as young as 9 years old - to solicit donations unsupervised in Franklin Square.   Felton was charged with 6 counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child because the kids were so young. Felton was a volunteer for the New York Youth Club in Smithtown and had recruited the kids as a part of his fund-raising efforts. It's important to note here that the New York Youth Club has a policy of not allowing anyone under 14 to help sell items door-to-door to raise money for the group. In this case the Club's president Ronald Crowe tells me Felton acted on his own, recruiting the youngsters against NYYC policy. Crowe said Felton was asked to leave the group this morning.

    NYYC collects almost all of it's donations by selling gourmet and home goods door-to-door, and Crowe says they've never had a problem with under age sales before. He tells me the group has had a great track record of helping young people throughout the years and this latest incident troubles him.

    So how can you feel confident in your donations now?

    Well many people I've spoken to feel uncomfortable buying from teens or anyone when they come to their home or approach them in a parking lot. Still however groups like NYYC rely on these donations. If you want to help someone, you can ask the young person lots of questions about the group. What has been their experience with the activities that the donations will go to support? How long have they been with the group? Have they been helped by the groups services? Basically, ask lots of questions to make you feel more confident in your purchase. The seller shouldn't mind if they truly believe in the cause they are asking you to support.

    If you still don't feel confident you could always ask to make an appointment for a purchase at a later time so you can research the charity. This option isn't the most favorable to the seller, but they shouldn't be too upset if the group truly needs your money. Ask for some literature or a website so you can get back to them at a later time.

    You can also check out a charity's finances and other information that it must file with the federal government at guidestar. 

    Remember, it's important to donate to charities - now probably more than ever. So if you do donate - do your research so your money isn't wasted and helps those in need.

Comments

[susan l.rudnick]

Dear Andrew.i am also skeptical of donating to door to door charties as well as mailings of the same.phone solicitors are becoming a real problem as well.i constantly get bombarded @ my place of business .when i ask the agency to sent me info they usually get angry and hang up ! its best to stay cool and calm and dont give any information over the phone or @ the door.susan l.rudnick

[John]

Honestly, I won't even open the door for anybody carrying a box. I find it too hard to believe that they're legitimate, when I could stop at CostCo and own the same box of candy.

When I'm caught, either outside or by someone for donations, I ask for a business card or other official sign so that I can send a donation later.

Obviously, anybody who finds this a problem isn't likely to be legitimate. And some of them, consistently claiming to represent environmental interests, I've noticed, get downright angry when you refuse to hand them cash on the spot.