The numbers may be improving, but they remain appalling. Blumenthal and Shiffrin said that while the number of organizations using paid solicitors increased from 111 to 124 between 1994 and 1995, it is still well below the peak in 1989 when 172 organizations used paid solicitors. The report found that police, firefighter and ambulance related groups continued to account for most of the professional telephone soliciting among organizations in Connecticut. Blumenthal and Shiffrin said the survey shows that groups that raised the largest amounts received a lower than average percentage of the donations. The two Connecticut organizations that raised the most money with paid telemarketers were the Connecticut Special Olympics and the Connecticut State Fraternal Order of Police.
Many charities have sound-alike names.
Ask how your donation will be used and where your donation will be used. Ask whether the person calling is being paid and what percentage of the donation will go to the organization. Never give cash or agree to have someone pick up a contribution. Blumenthal and Shiffrin commended Assistant Attorney General Paula Sullivan and Supervising Accounts Examiner Steve Eaton for their work on the report.