Is this true about the ALS Association?

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duplinwino

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I'm doing a walk mid September and have worked my butt off on fundraising. The past few weeks I've raised $1700 on my own. A friend was recently told by a financial planner that the ALS Association only puts 11 cents on the dollar of donations towards the cause, the rest goes towards their adminstrative costs, events, etc.... is this true? I guess I'm being unrealistic, I am new to charity causes, but this is very disappointing to me?! How can I find this out for sure? It's not going to change what I've done or what I'll keep doing, I just expected more to go towards the cause.

Thanks for your input and thoughts on this.

Ashley
 
-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From: "Connie Herndon" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: "Alan King" <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Administrative Expense
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:26:33 +0000

Mr. Hammond –
This is a email that was sent to my husband after a meeting on the walk in Atlanta.
He ask how the money was used. Hope this helps. They have been great to us.


The Board recently reviewed and approved the audit for fiscal year 2007 (February 1, 2006 through January 31, 2007). Based on these financials, the organization commits 81% of funds to our programs to serve patients and families and 20% to administrative costs (this includes fundraising at approximately 16% and general administrative at approximately 3%). We have not currently listed our audited financials on the website but I would be happy to share a copy of these documents with you if you’d like to see them. Please let me know and feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions.



Thanks,

Connie
 
Hi Ashley,

I don't know why your Financial Planner would try to injure the ALSA like that, but here is a pie chart showing their actual expenditures in 2005.

Administration 8 percent, Research 43 percent, Patient/Community Services 20 percent, Education 14 percent, Fundraising 15 percent

Mike
 

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Thank you so much Rhonda and Mike! I had a feeling this had to be wrong. I'm so glad to see that it is. I emailed it to them immediately.

Ashley
 
Where are you having the walk, they are holding one near me in Emerald Isle?
 
if you look on their website, most non profits post their audits on the web
 
Sammantha, I'm coming to Emerald Isle! :) My parents have a place there and we visit there several times a year so I thought it was appropriate.
 
Has anyone herad of the life extension program Its 75 dollars to join But have so much to offer by way of ALS suppliments and anwsers many question. I met a man that his mother lived 25 years with ALS and had alot of help from this program Pat
 
www.guidestar.org is an excellent resource for investigating not-for-profits' effective use of funds. They have analyses there along with access to IRS forms 990.

My personal view of the data (I'm not an accountant) for our local ALS Association chapter and for the national ALS Association is that they do a good job of keeping the funds moving to patient services and research programs, and they don't have some of the obscene executive wages that you see in the 990s of some not-for-profits.
 
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