America’s worst charities have come under renewed scrutiny following a series by the Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting that ranked organizations based on how much they spent on professional solicitation companies over the past decade. A leading watchdog group is reviewing its ratings of charities on the Times/CIR list, regulators in […]
Kendall Taggart
Data Reporter
Kendall Taggart is a former data reporter at The Center for Investigative Reporting. Her recent project, America's Worst Charities, exposed systemic weaknesses in state and federal oversight of nonprofits. The series, produced in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Times, won the Barlett & Steele Award gold prize. Kendall also was part of the reporting team that uncovered flaws in the way school regulators in California inspect and certify public schools to ensure they are seismically safe. That series, On Shaky Ground, won the public service award from Scripps Howard and two awards from Investigative Reporters & Editors. Kendall is a Massachusetts native and graduate of Reed College. She has lived and worked in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Trujillo, Peru.
Posted inAmerica's Worst Charities, Health Care
Part 3: How one family turned your goodwill into their livelihood
Carol Smith still gets angry when she remembers the box that arrived by mail for her dying husband. Cancer Fund of America sent it when he was diagnosed with lung cancer six years ago. Smith had called the charity for help. “It was filled with paper plates, cups, napkins and kids’ toys,” the 67-year-old Knoxville, […]
Posted inAmerica's Worst Charities, Health Care
Part 2: A failure of regulation
Four years ago, charity regulators in 38 states banded together to take down one of the most deceptive charity solicitors in America. In an unusual show of force, they marshaled resources from across the country and targeted Community Support Inc. An investigator in Iowa posed as a donor and secretly recorded calls coming from boiler […]
Posted inHealth Care
How we identified the nation’s worst charities
The United States is home to roughly 1.6 million tax-exempt organizations. That’s far too many to examine closely. So the Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting used data collected by the nonprofit charity tracker GuideStar USA to narrow the pool to the 5,800 charities nationwide that report paying professional solicitation companies to […]
Posted inAmerica's Worst Charities, Health Care
Don’t get fooled by bad charities
Before you give: Find out exactly who’s calling. Ask if the caller is a paid telemarketer. Get the exact name and location of the charity he or she represents. Beware of charities that mimic the names of well-established groups and of claims that you’ve given before to a charity you’ve never heard of. Find out […]
Posted inAmerica's Worst Charities, Health Care
Part 1: Dirty secrets of the worst charities
The worst charity in America operates from a metal warehouse behind a gas station in Holiday, Fla. Every year, Kids Wish Network raises millions of dollars in donations in the name of dying children and their families. Every year, it spends less than 3 cents on the dollar helping kids. Most of the rest gets […]
Posted inUncategorized
Community college boards lose power, stature as system changes
California community college trustees are entrusted with making sure districts meet the needs of the community. They help shape a district’s goals and review policies, but since 1978, they have not had control over revenues – the state does.