Scrooges and Angels for 2009

The 14th annual Scrooges and Angels list has once again been chosen according to Secretary of State Mark Hammond. The “Angels” list represents organizations that exemplify charitable giving in SouthCarolina with the percentage of their program expenses going toward the program activities. Pendleton Place, Inc. of Greenvillereceived top honors on the Angel’s list with 95% of the funds received going to the program.
Hammond’s designated “Scrooges” list  is based upon a charitable organization’s failure to spend a high percentage of their collections on the stated program activities. At the bottom of this list was the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund from Arlington, Virginia with 14.3% of their funds collected being used for program activities.
While those on the Angels list are only recognized one time, there are repeat offenders on the Scrooge list.
Secretary of State Mark Hammond says that if organizations are soliciting in the state of South Carolina, by law, they must be registered in the state or be fined. Hammond said, “Just last year we collected over $160,000 in fines from charitable organizations that were largely using paid professionals solicitors who were misleading our citizens in South Carolina.”
Hammond says that South Carolinians are some of the most generous people, and answer the call when it comes to helping the less fortunate. ” In these tough economic times we need to make sure that every dollar donated reaches it’s fullest potential. There’s a lot of folks out there in need. We just ask the people of South Carolina to check these organizations out before they write the check.”
To find out information about the organization and how much they spend on fund raising, Hammond encourages citizens to call the office or check out the website before donating their money. The Secretary of State’s website is www.scsos.com and the toll free number is 888-242-7484.