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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) –Many people may wonder where exactly their donations go.
Ahead of Giving Tuesday, Attorney General Maura Healy offered some guidance to Massachusetts residents on how to make the most out of their donations.
“Thousands of charities in Massachusetts rely on donations to help provide critical services and resources to individuals and communities, especially as we continue to face challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Healey said. “If you are in a position to give, be sure to do your research and make informed decisions in order to maximize the impact of your donation.”
On Monday, the AG’s Office released a new bulletin showing that only 43 percent of charitable funds gathered by professional solicitors went directly to charities in 2020. More than half of these donations were kept by the solicitors.
“Last year they collected over $90 million,” Healy said. “Only $40 million end up being passed on to the actual charity.”
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Since these solicitors are employed by the charities, these transactions are legal, but also commonly unregulated. Therefore, the AG advises people that if they want to ensure their entire donation goes straight to the charity, they should ask questions.
“It’s not to say don’t give if a professional solicitor is making the call,” Healy explained, “just be aware some of that money, over half of the money, may not get to the charity.”
People can ask if whoever is calling to collection donations is a volunteer or professional fundraiser. People can also ask how much money is going directly to their charity.
More information about the 2020 Professional Solicitor Bulletin can be found on the AG’s Office website as well as additional tips and tricks. Anyone with questions about donating to charity is encouraged to call the office as well.
WBZ's Chris Fama (@CFamaWBZ) spoke with Healy:
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