Ask for a fund-raising campaign report from a solicitor or nonprofit group. The report, which is required by law, shows you how much a solicitor collected in a campaign and how much went to the group it represented. You also can write for copies of the reports. If the nonprofit is a national one, you can get similar information on the Internet Prospector Web site, which provides links to databases compiled by different state agencies. Ask for tax returns.
Federal law requires nonprofits to provide returns, to anyone who asks, for the past three years.
Tax returns show how a nonprofit spends its money, and they sometimes reveal how much a solicitor raised and was paid. The returns should also detail programs the nonprofit supported, who was paid and how much. Aside from the records available on the Internet Prospector site, a few badge groups' recent tax returns may be available online at Guide Star. Donations to most badge groups, however, are not deductible and are not listed on Guide Star. Request copies of publications.