Santorum Charity

[Axegrinder]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060225/ap_on_go_co/santorum_charity
WASHINGTON - Sen. Rick Santorum (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/ap/ap_on_go_co/santorum_charity/18195675/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Sen.%20Rick%20Santorum%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/ap/ap_on_go_co/santorum_charity/18195675/SIG=1173jvlcq/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=498), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/ap/ap_on_go_co/santorum_charity/18195675/SIG=11g42fu4g/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=498))'s charity donated about 40 percent of the $1.25 million it spent during a four-year period, well below Better Business Bureau standards — paying out the rest for overhead, including several hundred thousand dollars to campaign aides on the charity payroll.

The charity, Operation Good Neighbor, is described on its Web site as an organization promoting "compassionate conservatism" by providing grants to small nonprofit groups, many of them religious.
The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance says charitable organizations should spend at least 65 percent of their total expenses on program activities.

Operation Good Neighbor is based at the same address as Pennsylvania Sen. Santorum's campaign office in suburban Philadelphia, and some of the same people who have worked on his campaign are working for his charity and collecting money from it, records show.

[Ibleedburgundy]

To put this in prespective, here is some data on charity averages:

Food Banks, Food Pantries, and Food Distribution:
As primarily non-cash operations, these charities demonstrate very little need for spending on overhead. Their median administration expenses percentage of 2.0% is far below the median of 10.4% among all charities.

Fundraising Organizations:
These charities serve as fundraising vehicles for other community-based charities, and appropriately demonstrate smaller overhead spending. The median administration expenses percentage among fundraising organizations is 6.5%, as compared to 10.4% among all charities.

Community Foundations:
Much like fundraising organizations, these charities serve as fundraising vehicles, and must as a result limit overhead spending. The median administration expenses ratio for community foundations is 6.0%, as compared to the median among all charities of 10.4%.


http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/content.view/catid/2/cpid/48.htm

[Spence]

That 60% overhead is really scandalous. Indicative of fraud, in my opinion, though that's not easy to prove. If Bob Casey can't use this against Santorum in the election then he doesn't deserve to win.

[CNYSkinFan]

I think the real scandal will be if charity workers can be proven to be doing or directed to do political activites on company time. That is a big time no no, criminally as well as PR wise.

[PennSkinsFan]

No comment. Simply look at my signature.