Albany, NY – New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent letters Tuesday to at least 75 nonprofits asking them to disclose their fundraising and relief efforts for Superstorm Sandy victims.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The attorney general’s office Charities Bureau plans to compile the information and report it online in an effort to improve transparency and donor confidence.
“In light of the importance of the recovery efforts, and the enormous amount of money raised in such a short period of time, it is critical that donors know where their money is going, and that funds are spent responsibly,” Schneiderman said. “In the name of transparency and accountability, we must ensure that funds raised for Hurricane Sandy relief are used for that purpose.”
Letters to more nonprofits are expected.
The letters request email responses by Dec. 11 detailing amounts raised and spent so far and whether donations will be used solely for storm relief. They also request information about services provided to victims, funds forwarded to other organizations, plans for any surplus and direct grants to individuals, families or businesses.
The nonprofits range from the American Red Cross and the AARP Foundation to We Care NYC and Staten Island Strong.
The attorney general’s office didn’t have an immediate estimate on how much has been raised.
“In the coming weeks and months, we expect to reach out to you for additional information, including more detailed information about how donations have been expended and the steps taken to prevent fraud and/or misuse of resources,” wrote Jason Lilien, chief of the Charities Bureau.
The agency so far has logged only a small number of complaints about storm-related charities, which it is looking into. It is responsible for overseeing charitable activities and fundraising in New York.
The 75 organizations that were sent a letter from the Attorney General’s office are:
1. AARP Foundation
2. Acupuncturists Without Borders
3. Afya Foundation
4. All Hands Volunteers
5. American Humane Association
6. American Red Cross
7. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
8. AmeriCares Foundation, Inc.
9. Best Friends Animal Society
10. B’nai B’rith International
11. Breezy Point Hurricane Sandy Relief
12. Brooklyn Recovery Fund
13. Brother’s Brother Foundation
14. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
15. Catholic Charities Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, Inc.
16. Center for Disaster Philanthropy
17. Children’s Hunger Fund
18. Church World Service
19. City Harvest
20. Citymeals-on-Wheels
21. Convoy of Hope
22. Direct Relief International
23. Disaster Chaplaincy Services
24. Emergency Children’s Help Organization
25. Empire State Relief Fund
26. Episcopal Relief & Development
27. Feed the Children
28. Food Bank for New York City
29. Gleaning For The World
30. Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc.
31. Graybeards
32. Habitat for Humanity International
33. Heart to Heart International
34. Hispanic Federation
35. Hope for the Warriors
36. Hurricane Sandy Relief Foundation
37. ICNA Relief
38. International Rescue Committee
39. Islamic Relief USA
40. Jewish Disaster Response Corps
41. Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc.
42. Liberty Street Relief Fund
43. MAP International
44. Matthew 25 Ministries
45. Modest Needs Foundation
46. Movement for Peace
47. National Firefighters Endowment
48. National Urban League
49. New York Cares
50. New York Communities for Change
51. Occupy Sandy
52. Operation Blessing International
53. Rebuilding Together
54. Rebuilding Together NYC
55. Red Hook Initiative
56. Robert R. McCormick Foundation
57. Robin Hood Foundation
58. Samaritan’s Purse
59. Save the Children Federation Inc.
60. ShelterBox USA
61. Staten Island Strong
62. Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation
63. Team Rubicon
64. The Humane Society of the United States
65. The Jewish Federations of North America, Inc.
66. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City
67. The New York City Coalition Against Hunger
68. The Salvation Army
69. UJA-Federation of New York
70. United Methodist Committee on Relief
71. United Way of Long Island
72. United Way of New York City
73. Waves For Water
74. We Care NYC
75. World Vision International
Additional organizations are expected to be contacted by the Attorney General’s office.
The Office of the Attorney General is responsible for overseeing charitable activities and fundraising in New York. The Office’s Charities Bureau has established a dedicated Hurricane Sandy email address, and any complaints regarding charitable activities relating to Hurricane Sandy should be sent to: [email protected]
I think this is a wonderful idea. Donors should know where there hard earned money is going. I, for one, do not donate to any organization that uses telemarketers to contact me. The organizations that I gave, for Hurricane Sandy, promised that all of my donation was being used to help the victims. Giving tzedaka is a wonderful thing, we should do our best to make sure that it really goes to those we wish to help.