How to Get Your Friends to Pay for Your Hawaii Vacation

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America lost points for its high fund-raising expenses, such as the cost of paying for you to run around Hawaii or Las Vegas and parties on event weekends.

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation spends more than 20% of its take on fund-raising.  That compares with less than five percent for the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Also, the Crohn’s and Colitis charity president, Richard Geswell, earns more than $300,000 a year, making him one of the highest paid executives in the non-profit field, ranking right up there with charities the size and scope of the American Cancer Society and the American Red Cross.

That’s more than double what , the executive director of the five-star National Organization for Rare Disorders, Peter Saltonstall, earns.

More — the Rare Disorders group has a privacy policy for donors, meaning they don’t sell your name to other charities or even mail order companies.

Opt out of mailing list

According to Charity Navigator, the Crohn’s and Colitis group has an ‘opt-out’ format, which means you have to know enough to tell them to remove your name from the mailing lists it sells, trades or shares.

There are many charities doing fine, valuable work.  Some do it better than others.  And some encourage you to encourage your friends, neighbors and co-workers to pay for your vacation in Hawaii, Virginia or Las Vegas — a vacation that includes running in a marathon or half-marathon.

Before you are suckered in to give your hard-earned money to support a charity you never heard of, check it out — even if it means insulting a friend, neighbor or co-worker who asks you to support his or her trip to Hawaii, Virginia wine country.

• Give with your heart, but use your head, my article on Yahoo, where I am a Featured Contributor

Besides Charity Navigator, you can check out a charity’s rating with the Better Business Bureau, Charity Watch, Guidestar, and the Federal Trade Commission’s charity fraud bureau.