WAY TO GO, SAM: WHEN AMATEURS GET INVOLVED IN CHARITY WITHOUT FOCUSING ON ALL THE IMPLICATIONS

DATELINE:  February 9, 2010, Chicago  

As Eddie Haskell of Leave It To Beaver fame used to say whenever Wally did something dumb, “Way to go, Sam.”

We’ve previously written about the ten missionaries who are sitting in a Haitian jail due to their alleged efforts to remove orphans from the country.  As we have noted countless times before, many who work for charities rely on the halo that they believe comes with doing good.  “We can classify some of our employees as independent contractors.”  “We don’t need to file a registration for operating a bingo game because we are small potatoes.”  “No need to follow corporate legal formalities because nobody has ever gotten into trouble about that before.”

Well, there are...

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repercussions to relying on the halo.  The New York Times reported Monday that following the arrests of the 10 Americans, health care officials have had trouble evacuating critically ill children.  Ian Urbina, Paperwork Hinders Airlifts of Ill Haitian Children.  We cannot state that there is evidence of a direct link between the 10 Americans and the slow down in evacuations.  It is notable, however, that the demand by Haitian officials for increased paperwork followed the arrests.  Mr. Urbina reports: 

Whatever intentions the 10 jailed Americans had when they tried to whisk the children across the border without government approval, many Haitians and aid workers say the case has become a dangerous distraction for a country still in the throes of a huge humanitarian crisis.

The Times reports that prior to the arrest, the paper work required to evacuate critically ill children was completed after the fact.  According to the Mr. Urbina’s reporting, pilots are backing out of missions for fear of entanglement in the Haitian legal system.

As far as we can tell, the missionaries were rank amateurs.  They may have wanted to do good, but apparently without taking into account Haitian laws or respecting Haiti’s culture and sovereignty, their actions may have resulted in damage to the people they thought they were trying to help.

Guerilla charity of this sort represents the highest form of arrogance.  It also is insulting to the many established charitable organizations that have the training, certification, and cultural sensitivities to do the job properly.

The 10 Americans would have been much more helpful had they stayed in Idaho and given money.   Today there are reports that the jailed Americans would like more assistance from the U.S. government.  We would recommend letting them sit in a Haitian jail to Haitian justice.  It would be a set a good example for others.

Lesson:  You can really screw things up if you don’t know what you're doing, but charge ahead.

For further proof of the problems caused when rank amateurs do try more than just give money (or volunteer to assist in the efforts of an established charity that knows what it is doing) following a disaster, we need only turn to the last major natural disaster that caught the attention of the American public:  Hurricane Katrina.  The New York Post is reporting that one of the charities that was formed in the wake of that disaster never got the bulk of its funds to the victims of the relief.  Mellisa Klein and Isabel Vincent, Queens Pols Stiffed Katrina Victims (February 8, 2010).  This time those wanting to do good were a  New York State Senator and a New York State Assemblyman—Malcolm Smith and Gregory Meeks.  The Post reports that only $1,392 of the $31,000 collected was used to aid victims.   We are unable to locate a tax return for this organization on GuideStar.  The organization is named New Yorkers Organized to Assist Hurricane Families or NOAH-F. 

This one is a classic.  There is reference to an advisory board, with the context suggesting that this might be the board of directors.  The very fact that the reference is to “advisory” indicates that rank amateurs were behind this venture.  One member told the Post, “I never attended any board meetings.”  She also told the Post that she didn’t even know if there were board meetings.  Is it surprising that the most of the money can't be accounted for?  We hope New York State charity regulators are looking into this.

The article makes it very clear that no one knows what happened to the money.  Keep this in mind when your neighbor tells you he has just set up a charity to help Haitian earthquake victims.  Well intentioned maybe, but in many of these cases, the effort is counterproductive.  What makes NOAH-F particularly troubling is the addition of politicians, which often means the people behind the charity have hidden agendas that affect what happens to the money.  DONOR BEWARE

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THE FOREGOING IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS LEGAL ADVICE. IF LEGAL ADVICE IS REQUIRED, THE NONPROFIT OR OTHER PARTY IN QUESTION SHOULD SEEK THE ADVICE OF QUALIFIED LEGAL COUNSEL. If you liked this post, please visit http://www.charitygovernance.com for a description of our training and consulting services. You will also want to acquire a copy of Jack Siegel's book, A Desktop Guide for Nonprofit Directors, Officers, and Advisors: Avoiding Trouble While Doing Good." Copyright 2010, Charity Governance Consulting LLC. All Rights Reserved. You may not copy any portion of this post to a computer "clipboard" for re-posting anywhere or e-mailing, or otherwise reproduce this post. If you want others to review this post, you may provide them with a link to this web blog. Any use of the material or ideas in this post by reporters or other publishers shall make reference to Jack Siegel, author of "A Guide for Non-Profit Directors, Officers and Advisors: Avoiding Trouble While Doing Good" and this web blog. For additional information call 773-325-2124