BOSTON - Just 62 cents of every dollar picked up by professional fundraisers go to the charities that hired them, according to a new report on 2014 charitable donations.
Attorney General Maura Healey's office is tasked with regulating 22,000 public charities, with some raising funds by themselves and others tapping professional fundraisers. Those professional fundraisers must register and file documents with her office.
"Because the amount of donations going to the charity may vary widely and cannot be directly regulated by the Commonwealth, the [Attorney General's Office] issues this report as a source of information and a reminder to the donating public that persons seeking donations may be professional for-profit solicitors and may be paid from the proceeds of charitable fundraising campaigns," the report says.
Seventy-six professional fundraisers conducted 785 fundraising campaigns for charities in 2014, according to Healey's office. They raised over $543 million, an increase of $154 million from what was raised in 2013.
Out of the $543 million raised, $338 million, or 62 percent, went to the charity. Professional fundraisers were paid $204 million for their services, Healey's office said.
The percentage has risen in recent years. In 2013, the average was 47 cents of every dollar, and in 2012, the number was 34 cents.
How much the fundraisers receive is between the charities and the fundraisers, who work out an agreement, and there isn't a legal requirement for how much should go to the charity, Healey's office noted.
But her office's report added:
"[T]he unfortunate truth remains that some charitable solicitation activity in the Commonwealth benefits principally the owners and staff of for-profit professional solicitors....it also remains true that certain solicitors' deceptive practices can make it difficult for donors to tell whether their contributions are benefitting the charities they want to support."
The report said it's up to prospective donors to "determine whether they accept the costs of professional fundraising or whether they prefer all or most of their donation to advance directly the charity's mission."
The full report on 2014 charitable giving is available here.