Name of Organization: South Cook County Professional Firefighters
Address: 262 Orchard Ln, Beecher, IL 60401-5001
Activities: Association of municipal employees, Improvement of conditions of workers
Subsection: Labor Organization
Deductibility: Contributions are not deductible
1). Find Out Who's Calling.
Many phone calls soliciting charitable donations come from for-profit professional telemarketers that keep a sizable portion of your donation for themselves and don't really care about the cause they're promoting. Find out if the person with whom you are speaking works for a telemarketing company or is a volunteer or employee of the charity itself.
2) Ask Where Your Donation Goes.
Professional, for-profit telemarketers typically negotiate their fees ahead of time and know exactly how much of every dollar raised goes to the charity and how much stays with the telemarketer. As various state charity regulator reports confirm, companies often keep a significant of portion of each dollar raised (read our summary of those reports). Sadly, in some cases no money is returned to the charity. So, be sure to ask the person on the other end of the line to tell you how much of your donation will actually end up with the charity. By law, they must tell you.
3) Get It In Writing.
Ask the person calling to send you a copy of the charity's annual report or a brochure describing its mission and accomplishments. Effective and efficient charities are proud of their accomplishments and are able to provide written materials describing their mission, program accomplishments, and financial information.
4) Do Some Research.
Begin by checking to see if the charity contacting you is one of the over 5,000 charities that Charity Navigator rates. Charity Navigator's ratings provide clear, objective, and reliable assessments of the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of charities. Givers can be confident that in supporting those charities rated highly by Charity Navigator, they will be supporting organizations that are fiscally responsible and financially healthy. If someone contacts you soliciting a donation for a charity that Charity Navigator does not currently rate you can request a copy of the organization's IRS form 990. Federal law requires nonprofit organizations to provide their last 3 IRS form 990s (tax returns) and their IRS form 1023 (application for tax exemption) within 30 days of your request. (Read our guide for additional tips on how to Evaluate Charities Not Currently Rated by Charity Navigator)
5) Eliminate The Middleman
If you determine that the telemarketer is calling you on behalf of a charity that you wish to support, contact the charity and find out how to donate to it directly. That way you avoid having part of your donation taken by a for-profit company.
Name of Organization: South Cook County Professional Firefighters
Address: 262 Orchard Ln, Beecher, IL 60401-5001
Activities: Association of municipal employees, Improvement of conditions of workers
Subsection: Labor Organization
Deductibility: Contributions are not deductible
This is from the website for the Country Club Hills Firefighters Union. http://www.iaff-local2720.org/
"Local 2720 is a member of the South Cook County Professional Firefighters Association. The organization includes IAFF locals from Alsip, Blue Island, Chicago Heights, Chicago Ridge, Country Club Hills, Dolton, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Homewood, Lansing, Markham, Matteson, Midlothian, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Park Forest, Riverdale, Worth and University Park. The organization has branched out from being primarily a fundraising group to one that has been very active in both charitable and politcal work. South Cook County Firefighters meet regularly to discuss the problems and successes that are unique to our region."
SO, WHY ARE THEY CALLING PEOPLE IN ORLAND PARK AND EVERGREEN PARK WHEN OUR FIREMEN ARE NOT IN THEIR ORGANIZATION?
You are 100% correct. I am President of a Firefighter's Union that used to belong to this organization (South Cook County). The telemarketing company takes 80% of your donation right off of the top. The remaining 20% is then split up between (at the time) 19 different Locals. SO, if you were to donate $100.00 to what they will tell you is the "ABC Fire Department." in actuality, your local FD only sees $1.05 of it. And, if the entire truth is to be told, the actual Fire Department sees ZERO. The IAFF (International Association of Firefighters) Local that is a member if South Cook County gets it. The deceptive and strong-arm sales tactict is precisely why my Local dropped out of South Cook County. Granted, the Locals do great things with the money, such as donating to various charities both local and global. They also secure better wages and working conditions for the local firefighers. The telemarketers are calling on behalf of a charitable organization, so they are exempt from following the Do Not Call Registry. My suggestion: If you want to make a donation to your local fire department or the Local Firefighter's Union, call or stop by the local firehouse and see where you can drop off a check directly to them.