What do other people say? If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. These charities honor members of law enforcement for their dedication to protecting communities and ensuring public safety. $708,206. 1-800-247-4872. This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990. As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. This is just one example of how fundraisers can look and sound. The rest is a split between employees salary and benefits, buildings maintenance for its 10,000 sq. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. When I refused to give him the credit information, he became irritated and transferred my call to another man. That same tax year, the International Union of Police Associations gave 10 students pursuing advanced degrees in law enforcement an average of $2,500 apiece. The union holds an annual golf tournament in Venice, Florida, and come September 2020 will host its 22nd international convention in Key West Florida, at the Waldorf Astorias Casa Marina, where attendees will enjoy 1,100 feet of private beach area. The IUPA has several red flags of its own, according to Public Integrity, as well as other sources. You read that correctly. A union-backed police charity spends just a sliver of its money on those it purports to serve, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), The casket of Jersey City Police Detective Joseph Seals is carried out of the church during his funeral in Jersey City, N.J., on Dec. 17, 2019. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. Two others, Courtesy Call and Donor Relations, are run by Richard Zeitlin out of Las Vegas, who was being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission as well as a Florida Grand Jury for engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices.. Anything else is a waste of your time and possibly your money. In about 7 years (through March 2018), the union and relief fund spent a total of approximately $102.3 million, of which $82.3 million went towards fundraising. Are the NPTA and IUPA (each are connected with the powerful AFL-CIO Union) legitimate charitable organizations? 800-247-4872. Leah is now The Business Operations Manager for the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police, active in her local WAFOP chapter, and a peer support advocate. The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting, Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website, Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website. In September 2020, the union plans to host its 22nd international convention at the Casa Marina, a Waldorf Astoria resort in Key West, Florida, with 1,100 feet of private beach. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. In 2004, state officials in New York banned Gelvan from fundraising in the state, in part because his solicitors impersonated police officers when they asked for donations. Together, the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund and the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO, have spent about $82.3 million 77 percent of their operating expenditures. If you ask him about the difference between the 527 and 501 nonprofit status, or how much of their donations go to local law enforcement, he will tell you to call 866-487-4515. Louisiana survivors of Hurricane Laura should be aware of fraud and scams and report any suspicious . That is equivalent to 2.7 percent of the $2.7 million the organization raised from donors that year, according to its federal tax return. We would also like to make you aware that several other organizations may be soliciting your home for donations. In fact, they use them for just about everything they need except banking, legal services and travel. We support and defend the law enforcement profession and those law enforcement officers who have devoted their lives to up (More)Our mission is benevolent and educational. These telemarketers charge some of the highest rates for fundraising on behalf of clients, Public Integrity has reported. Leah Anaya is a medically retired police officer. The police union and relief fund have contracted with Courtesy Call, Donor Relations and a handful of other companies owned by Las Vegas telemarketer Richard Zeitlin. The funds are to provide some assistance in transition of long-term recovery not to make them whole. About $4 million of that paid for fundraising and related expenses. Also affiliated with the union is a political action committee, Law Enforcement for a Safer America. In this case, we deduct 15 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting. Donations made to LEORF go towards assisting the officer's immediate family with funeral costs or medical expenses, household finances, future . An associated political action committee, Law Enforcement for a Safer America, raised $4.5 million from donors across the country from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. Learn more about our criteria and methodology. The man wanted me to pledge a large $ donation. So, if your phone rings, and the person on the other end says they are with the National Police Support Fundhang up. The NPAs immigration proposalAuthorizing local law enforcement officers to perform federal immigration law enforcement functionsis based on fear-mongering and a clear recipe for abuse and division. See the metrics below for more information. How a donor can have themselves removed from a list differs from one charity to the next, but any and all opt-out policies require donors to take specific action to protect their privacy. Consolidation Period: From July 8, 2020 to the e-Laws currency date. This leaves very little to be spent on political advocacy, which is, after all, the actual purpose of a PAC to begin with. The office forwarded the complaint to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates charities. Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as: Defending Wrongfully-Charged Law Enforcement Officers, Support of Law Enforcement Professional Associations. She served for three years at the Oakland Police Department, and just under five at the Vancouver Police Department in Washington State. The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). Lewis responded: We are sorry you had a negative experience with our fundraiser on the phone! One of their many other fundraisers is New Jersey-based Outreach Calling, which has ties to beleaguered telemarketer Mark Gelvan. They reported contributions in the amount of $703,307. Partial Credit: There has been a diversion of assets within the last two years and the charity has used Schedule O on the Form 990 to explain: the nature of the diversion, the amount of money or property involved and the corrective action taken to address the matter. Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund - Charity Navigator With so much stuff happening in the world on social media, its easy for things to get lost. About $1.8 million went toward the salaries of union officials, including $199,700 for Cabral, the president. The union raised $3.3 million from membership dues and spent nearly the same amount providing services to those members a pattern typical in the last several years. Also affiliated with the union is a political action committee, Law Enforcement for a Safer America. For example, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) Next to the picture theres a button that invites you to Donate Today and help families of fallen or injured officers. Two others, Courtesy Call and Donor Relations, are run by Richard Zeitlin out of Las Vegas, who was being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission as well as a Florida Grand Jury for engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices.. Like many other states, Floridas law prohibits charities from misleading donors or misrepresenting themselves. The website asks the visitor to consider that it takes weeks for families of officers who have been killed to receive the benefits they duly deserve while funeral costs, household expenses and other bills accumulate.. Investigation: Is National Police Support Fund - Law Enforcement Today Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund has earned a 94% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. Their expenditures, according to that Form 8872? This PAC raised $4.5 million from donors, and spent $4 million of that on fundraising. This is the type of information that should be transparent so people know the organizations theyre donating to is properly using their hard earned dollars. This Vegas telemarketer cashed in. The IUPA and the relief fund also uses almost 80% of its donated funds to pay telemarketers to obtain even more funds. But a Center for Public Integrity investigation indicates most of the money it raises goes to telemarketing expenses and salaries. How to Facilitate and Engage in Healthy Decision-making Processes. The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). While Yelp is not necessarily the final authority on a groups legitimacy, Simon Lewis, NPSF President felt the reviews warranted a response. She worked there for about a year. Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization. (Less). National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has earned a 72% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. Opt-out: The charity has a written privacy policy published on its website which enables donors to tell the charity to remove their names and contact information from lists the charity shares or sells. As for the BBB, we know there are some articles out there that misrepresent our relationship with them. Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. For example, in the tax year that ended March 2018, the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund gave 11 families an average of $6,545 apiece. How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially: More finances are needed due to the higher case loads. The Fund is a 501(c) 3 non-profit charitable corporation and donations are tax deductible. Sign up to receive our freeWatchdog email newsletter, a weekly investigation in inequality from Public Integrity. I recently took about a dozen of these "police-support" calls to hear the pitches. The websites even share layouts, color schemes, photographs, and fine print. About $5.5 million of the $8.8 million in the groups expenses that year was spent on fundraising. Organizations that demonstrate consistent annual growth in program expenses are able to outpace inflation and thus sustain their programs year to year. That ranked it among the top unions and tax-exempt organizations for spending on professional fundraisers in data collected by the Internal Revenue Service. Best Items to Donate to an Animal Shelter, Donors Prefer Charities that Earn All Four Beacons. Total Revenue and Expenses - Data Available, IRS Published Data (Business Master File) - Data Available, Data Sources (IRS Forms 990) - Data Available, How to Donate Food and Prevent Food Waste. Cabral wasnt at the unions 10,000-square-foot office overlooking downtown Sarasota from atop the PNC Bank building, and he did not respond to a message left for him. This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. They promise to help families of fallen officers. But they're mostly I thought this money was to give policemen a voice at the national level. The petition passed in a membership vote the following year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig), International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO. His employees then called security, who ushered the reporter out of the hotel. Why does its charitable arm spend such a small percentage of donors money on charity? Did you know that LET has a private home for those who support emergency responders and veterans? Both telemarketers have been the subject of extensive Center for Public Integrity investigations. The NPAs immigration proposalAuthorizing local law enforcement officers to perform federal immigration law enforcement functionsis based on fear-mongering and a clear recipe for abuse and division. These organizations also supply givers with greater confidence by maintaining broad public support for their programs. This PAC raised $4.5 million from donors, and spent $4 million of that on fundraising. 2010, CHAPTER 16 Schedule 4. IUPA hasnt always relied so heavily on telemarketers to raise funds. While the union flaunts itself as the only union for law enforcement officers, it is questionable in its reports of membership, which have been shown to be false on more than one occasion. Ackloo and others raised $6 million for the union that year; the group brought in another $3 million in membership dues. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement. Numerous sources list NPTA as a scam, and a recent report from the Center for Public Integrity (which is a self-described nonprofit newsroom that investigates betrayals of public trust) reveals just how much of a scam it really is. - Additional Questions The LELDF is a great charity that provides much-needed support to law enforcement officers. The culture of the organization is one that accepts complacency and allows individuals to get away with fireable offenses. and family members of the law enforcement community.". make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations. Full Credit: The charity's audited financials were prepared by an independent accountant with an audit oversight committee. About $82.3 million of that amount 77 percent paid for fundraising services. The big picture is Florida has this great statute, but zero enforcement, so its just words, words, words.. In recent letters to members of Congress supporting certain bills, Cabral said IUPA now represents more than 100,000 rank and file law enforcement officers, or roughly one out of every eight in the U.S. Issued: N/A; Expires: N/A; Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund, Inc. Not Evaluated. IUPA executives are sure to make a handsome income, not least of which is the president of the IUPA, Sam Cabral, who rakes in just under $200,000 per year. At the time of this writing, the relief funds website was no longer functioning. The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. He also doesnt tell you that none of the donations collected actually go to financially support local law enforcement. This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies. These include two FTC actions against alleged sham non-profits and the telemarketers who made deceptive claims about these so-called charities. Giving back to those who protect and serve Law Enforcement Officers are always there to help others. Your Message. A diversion of assets any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. Three of them have been negative subjects in similar investigations from Public Integrity. The Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund is there immediately to support our public safety officers in their greatest time of need. The association is listed as affiliated with the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA). IRS compliance information is also located directly on the page. The pushy caller didnt want to take no for an answer, so I had to get a little more firm with him. The Policy also applies to representatives authorized in writing to act on behalf of a serving prime minister, minister or deputy head . A donation of $10, $15 or $25 would help keep communities like Trenton safe. Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible. "Legal aid is essential for helping people who cannot afford a lawyer. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years. Up until recently, the political action committee shared an office in Sarasota with the union and the relief fund, and its founding treasurer was Michael Crivello, vice president of the union. Police officers and their families most definitely need and deserve to be supported when tragedy strikes. We know because we checked when deciding which non-profits that support law enforcement and survivors that we as an organization support. The organization has had huge and very public stalls on a major project yet senior management continues to point fingers externally rather than evaluate their part in the matter.