[Gerald]

It's the season for charitable giving. And the trick is to make sure your money actually goes to a charity, not some fundraising outfit.
You might be stunned to learn how much money some professional solicitors keep for themselves and the paltry amount they turn over to charities.
State Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra last week released a 274-page report that listed details on $581 million in charitable contributions collected from Californians by commercial fundraisers in 2016. The good news is that, on average, 69% went to the charities and the solicitors kept 31%. But that’s not the whole sordid story.
The report shows that many charities netted very little — less than 20%, or even zilch. Some wound up being in hock to the fundraisers for their ineffective or overpriced work.

http://beta.latimes.com/politics/la-...t=oft12aH-1gp4

eye-opener!