Local charities call out fire unions

A local donor recently received two letters in the mail from the local United Way office.
It was an innocent mistake, said Executive Director Kathy Jones. Her name was spelled two different ways on the donor roster, so the resident was notified twice.
She was worried United Way of Hernando County had to pay another 44 cents for a stamp. It's a charity. It is supposed to collect money, not spend it on superfluous letters.
The concerned citizen called Jones.
Jones knows residents pay attention to where their money is going. They have expectations when they donate.
The woman she talked to recently was one example of the way residents make sure their donations weren't being wasted on unnecessary expenses.
"We're careful and we're cautious," Jones said. "We're thrifty."
That is why Jones is befuddled by the choices made by local fire unions. For years they have hired an outside telemarketing agency - Bay Area Council Inc. - to do their soliciting for them.
In 2007, the company kept 84 percent of the revenue it collected, which totaled $479,416.48.
"We don't do anything like that," said Jones. "We try to keep our admin fees as low as possible, like 8 or 9 percent."
Bay Area Council solicits donations on behalf of the Hernando County Professional Firefighters, the Professional Firefighters of Spring Hill, Citrus County Professional Paramedics and EMTs, Hillsborough Firefighters Benevolent Association, New Port Richey Firefighters, Pasco County Council of Firefighters, Polk County Firefighters and Zephyrhills Professional Firefighters.
Of the $479,416.48 Bay Area Council collected in 2007, $207,131.55 was used for payroll. Another $106,864.20 was spent on what was called "professional fundraising fees," according to state financial records.
Another $89,250.07 was designated for miscellaneous costs - from postage to printing.
Only $76,107.66 - 15.9 percent - was distributed to the agency's affiliates.
Bay Area Council, which let its registration lapse earlier this year, still has not submitted its 2008 figures.
The union presidents for both Spring Hill and Hernando County fire rescue said they distribute all of the money they receive from the Port Richey agency to local and national charities.
Bay Area Council, on the application it submitted to the state, wrote its purpose was to "promote the training, education and communication of professional interest and promote contract negotiations, assist with public relations for the council membership (and) assist with legislative activities."
Nowhere did it state it was collecting for charities. It did not apply for tax-exempt status.
Bruce Gimbel, the chaplain for Jericho Road Ministries, called Bay Area Council's tactics "predatory."
Jericho Road, a charity that services the homeless and others who are "emotionally, economically and spiritually impoverished," doesn't rely on telemarketing. It uses volunteers, donations and sales from its thrift store locations, Gimbel said.
"I don't understand why they wouldn't just go and find another means to collect donations," he said of the local fire unions. "You're really hurting two people - the donor and those who receive benefits for your effort."
Debbie Andrews is the executive director of the Dawn Center, a shelter for those victimized by sexual and domestic violence.
She called telemarketing tactics "cold" and "impersonal."
"If you can afford to bring in an outside company to do your soliciting for you, then you don't need to be raising money in the first place," she said.
Last year, the Hernando County fire union gave $250 to the American Lung Association. It came from the $4,500 it collected from Bay Area Council, according to a union spokesman.
Coincidentally, the American Lung Association came under fire recently following news reports out of Boston that claimed the agency hoarded most of the funds it collected through its phone-soliciting campaign.
ALA spokeswoman Carrie Martin said the association uses telemarketing to recruit "lapsed donors" and encourage them to give money again.
She called the media reports "terrible," but conceded the best way to donate to a cause is to do so directly. Web sites are the most cost-effective way to do that, she said.
"It's important for donors to do some research before they commit to giving to a charity," Martin said.