Fla. Charity Watchdog Seeks New Controls on Fundraising

Florida’s top charity regulator said he will ask state lawmakers to back a series of measures to crack down on nonprofit organizations that spend heavily on professional solicitors, the Tampa Bay Times writes.

Adam Putnam, the state’s commissioner of agriculture and consumer services, said he will seek legislation requiring that groups spend at least 25 percent of donations directly on their mission or risk losing tax-exempt status. He also called for higher fines for abuses, background checks for telemarketing workers, and greater authority to suspend or deny licenses to suspect charities and fundraising firms.

Mr. Putnam said he expects little legislative opposition to the reforms, which emerged from a review by his agency of state laws on charities. He said the review was prompted by the Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting’s “America’s Worst Charities” probe of nonprofits that spend most of their revenue on fundraising. Eleven of the 50 organizations cited in the report are based in Florida.