Albany, NY – AG Schneiderman Tells Nonprofits To Reveal Storm Aid

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    AP FileAlbany, 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.

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    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]


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    2 Comments
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    ItsMyOpinion
    ItsMyOpinion
    11 years ago

    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.