  REGISTER TODAY2022 NAAG/NASCO Annual Charities Conference Cosponsored by National Association of State Charity Officials October 12-14, 2022 History Colorado Center Denver, CO Virtual Option Also Available REGISTER TODAY The 2022 NAAG/NASCO Charities Conference will be held in Denver, Colorado from October 12-14, 2022. The conference is the only annual event at which charity regulators and nonprofit organizations and their attorneys, accountants, fundraisers, and advisers can meet, learn about, and discuss issues of interest to the charitable sector. The conference will provide an opportunity to hear from regulators and others in the nonprofit sector on current issues, including sessions on Establishing an Effective and Healthy Board Culture in a Stress-filled World, and Challenges and Changes in Charitable Fundraising. Internationally noted scholar Professor Una Osili, of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, will provide the keynote address on The Changing Role of Data and its Impact on Charitable Regulation. Attendees will also hear from a panel of attorneys general and secretaries of state on regulatory priorities and recent enforcement actions. The sessions on Wednesday, October 12 are open to the public, starting at approximately 8 a.m. and ending with a networking reception that evening. Sessions on October 13-14 are open to government staff only with the government portion of the conference ending at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 14. The agenda is being developed and will be posted to the conference website as soon as available. We plan to keep the website updated with the most current agenda. Registration Price (in-person attendance): Member Attorneys General: Complimentary Government Staff: $500 General Admission: $500 The registration deadline is Friday, September 30, 2022. A $100 late fee will be assessed to late registrants. Additional information regarding pricing can be found here. This conference will also be offered virtually for government staff from October 12-14, and for general admission on October 12. Below is the registration cost for the virtual option. Registration Prices (virtual attendance): Member Attorneys General: complimentary NAAG Members and Non-AGO NASCO Members: complimentary Other Government and General Admission: $200.00 NAAG will apply for CLE for eligible attendees per CLE accrediting body guidelines. ROOM BLOCK NAAG has secured a room block at The Art Hotel. The group rate is $259.00 per night plus tax. This rate will be available until Tuesday, September 20, 2022, or until the block is full, whichever comes first. Please email Amy Jackson at ajackson@naag.org with any questions. REGISTER TODAY If you have created your NAAG account and do not see the correct pricing listed, please make sure you have entered your organization under your profile. Attorney general staff will need to wait until after your account is verified by your office before being able to register for this event. The 2022 NAAG/NASCO Annual Charities Conference is coordinated by the National Association of State Charity Officials and the NAGTRI Center for Consumer Protection, whose mission is to assist and enable state and territory attorneys general in protecting the public in the areas of consumer protection and charitable asset and entity oversight by providing information, technical assistance, and support; facilitating cooperation among attorney general staff through open dialogue and advanced communication systems; planning, organizing, and conducting training and seminars for the exchange of ideas and information on relevant matters; and promoting the development of effective programs and education for the protection of the public. Please check out the Center’s consumer-facing website at ConsumerResources.org. |
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Severe Weather Brings Out Home-Repair Scammers and Fake Charities
With the warm-weather storm season heating up, Attorney General Dave Yost is reminding Ohioans to watch out for home-repair scammers and fake charities soliciting donations on behalf of individuals affected by storms.
“Shady storm chasers make my blood boil – they look to severe weather watches and warnings to try to make a quick buck,” Yost said. “And bogus charities come from the same swamp. Their goal is to rip off people who are trying to help.
“My office works hard to show Ohioans how to spot these swindlers.”
Unscrupulous contractors travel to storm-damaged communities to offer their services to homeowners, but then perform shoddy work or no work at all. In many cases, they go door to door, claiming that they can complete the work immediately.
The Attorney General’s Office advises consumers to follow these steps to avoid home-repair scams:
- Research the business. Ask for identification from the company representative; note the person’s name, address and phone number; and be cautious of any contractor who won’t provide this information. Check out the company’s reputation with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau. You can also search for possible previous lawsuits filed by the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Section.
- Get multiple written estimates. Obtaining at least three written estimates from three distinct contractors could help you weed out bad apples. Beware of contractors that have only a few projects for you to review.
- Don’t make large payments in advance. Instead, pay in increments – for example, a third at the beginning of the job, a third after half of the work is completed to your satisfaction, and the final third when the job is completed.
- Get all promises in writing. Insist on a written contract detailing the costs, the work to be done, the starting and end dates, and any verbal promises made by the contractor. The contract should also note whether subcontractors will be used and whether the contractor has or will obtain the necessary licenses and permits. Insist on being provided a copy of every document you sign or initial.
- Understand your cancellation rights. If the contract resulted from a door-to-door sale, you generally have three days to cancel the contract, according to Ohio’s Home Solicitation Sales Act. The seller should give you written notice of these rights.
- Consider paying with a credit card. Paying with a credit card, as opposed to paying in cash, generally gives you greater protections to dispute unauthorized charges.
When it comes to making charitable donations, donors should research charities and ask questions. Donors should follow these steps to ensure that gifts are used as intended:
- Visit the attorney general’s Research Charities webpage to see whether charities have complied with registration requirements, to connect with charity watchdog organizations and to learn what others say about the group. News articles and other postings can also provide useful details about groups, board members and key employees.
- Request to view 990 forms, which most tax-exempt groups must file with the Internal Revenue Service. These forms describe where organizations get their funding and how they spend it.
- Support familiar, established organizations with a strong track record of success and experience in dealing with natural disasters. Tragedies can sometimes prompt the creation of new charities that may or may not have the needed expertise to provide meaningful relief or run a charity effectively.
- Talk with friends and family about unfamiliar solicitations. Have they heard of the group? Do they know of anyone who has been assisted by it?
Because we want to see you…. just a little reminder…..
Attorney General Bonta Releases Proposed Regulations Implementing New Online Charitable Fundraising Law
California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a package of proposed regulations implementing Assembly Bill 488 (AB 488), a new law governing charitable fundraising on internet platforms. In recent years, charitable fundraising on internet platforms has grown exponentially, altering the landscape of charitable giving. The proposed regulations will allow the Attorney General to properly supervise charitable fundraising occurring on internet platforms and protect donors and charities from fraud and deceptive or unfair solicitations.
“When Californians open their hearts and their wallets, they deserve to have confidence that their donations are going toward their intended purposes,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The reality is: online solicitations are everywhere and charitable donations increasingly flow through crowdfunding sites and other third-party online platforms. AB 488 gives my office the tools we need to match today’s virtual market and safeguard charitable donations made through online platforms.”
AB 488, sponsored by Attorney General Bonta and authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, expands the Attorney General’s supervision of charities, charitable trustees, and fundraisers to include charitable fundraising platforms and platform charities. Charitable fundraising platforms include charitable crowdfunding websites, e-commerce companies that solicit donations for charities or engage in online charitable sales promotions, and companies that provide customizable versions of their fundraising platforms to charities. Platform charities are retained by charitable fundraising platforms, typically for the purpose of soliciting and receiving donations for other charitable organizations.
Under this new law, the Attorney General is required to adopt regulations necessary for supervising charitable fundraising on internet platforms. Today’s proposed regulations implement AB 488’s requirements that charitable fundraising platforms and platform charities:
- Register and report to the Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts, with filings made available for public viewing;
- Provide conspicuous disclosures in certain solicitations, intended to prevent public deception, confusion, and misunderstanding;
- Promptly issue tax donation receipts, when applicable;
- Promptly distribute donations to charities;
- Only solicit for charities that have provided prior consent, unless certain criteria are met that safeguard against harm to charities and the public; and
- Only solicit for charities in good standing in California and with the IRS.
A copy of the proposed regulations can be found here. A virtual hearing on the proposed regulations will occur on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 9:00 am Pacific Time. A link to the public hearing can be found here. Media are encouraged to RSVP at agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov.
Attorney General James Warns New Yorkers to Be Careful of Sham Charities Created in Response to Buffalo Terror Attack
New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued an alert urging New Yorkers to beware of potentially fraudulent charities created in the wake of the hate-filled terror attack in Buffalo. Anyone who is considering making a donation to organizations that are purportedly assisting victims of the shooting should consult the office’s charitable giving tips before donating. Scammers often use incidents of crisis to perpetuate frauds to divert donations away from the intended recipients.
“In the wake of tragedies, like the horrific shooting in Buffalo, scammers often take advantage of acts of kindness for personal gain,” said Attorney General James. “As New Yorkers from every corner of the state show their support and solidarity with the Buffalo community, I urge them to be careful of sham charities and make sure they give to trustworthy organizations and groups. I join the whole Buffalo community and the entire state of New York in mourning this senseless, hate-filled act of terror.”
Attorney General James offers the following tips for those donating to those impacted by the Buffalo shooting:
- Check Before Giving. Donate to charities you are familiar with and carefully review information about the charity before you give. Most charities are required to register and file financial reports with the Office of the Attorney General’s Charities Bureau if they solicit contributions from New Yorkers. Check our website, charitiesnys.com, for financial reports of charities or ask the charity directly for its reports.
- Ask How Your Donation Will Be Used. Find out how the charity plans to use your donation, including the services and individuals your donation will support. Find out more than just the cause. Find out what organization or entity will receive the money and what programs it conducts or what services it provides.
- Look Into Newly Formed Organizations Carefully. Often, in the aftermath of tragedies, new organizations emerge to meet community needs. While most of these organizations are well-intentioned, and some may provide innovative forms of assistance, some may not have the experience or infrastructure to follow through on their promises, and some may turn out to be scams.
- Solicited by Email? Find Out Who is Soliciting. If you receive a solicitation by email, find out who is behind that email address. Contact the charity whose name is in the email or visit its website to find out if the email is really from the charity. Do not give personal information or your credit card number in response to an email solicitation unless you have checked out the charity.
- Be Careful When Giving Through Social Media or Other Fundraising Sites. Before giving through these social media or fundraising sites, research the identity of the organizer of the fundraising efforts and ask the same questions you would of a charity. Online platforms that host groups and individuals soliciting for causes may not thoroughly vet those who use their service. Donors should only give to campaigns conducted by people whom they know. Donors also should take a close look at the site’s FAQs and Terms and Conditions to see what fees will be charged. Also, don’t assume that charities recommended on social media sites, blogs, or other websites have already been vetted. Research the charity yourself to confirm that the charity is aware of the campaign and has given its approved permission for the use of its name or logo. If available, sign up for updates from the campaign organizer to keep abreast on how contributions to the campaign are being spent.
- Exercise Caution Before You Text A Contribution. Check the charity’s website or call the charity to confirm it has authorized contributions to be made via text message.
- Don’t Give Cash. Give directly to the charity either by check made payable to the organization or through the charity’s website.
- Be Careful About Personal Information. Be cautious before giving out credit card or personal information over the phone, by text message, or via the internet. In all cases, make sure you are familiar with the organization to which you give such information and check to see that the fundraising campaign is legitimate.