A Textbook Example of a Poor Textbook

To the Editor:

Your article “A Textbook Case” (March 26) says that Kathleen Kelly’s new book, Effective Fund-Raising Management, is likely to draw strong criticism once it becomes better known in the field. What an understatement.

I have read just 27 of the book’s 663 pages and found too many errors to count.

Example: Ms. Kelly writes that the U.S. Marine Corps’s Toys for Tots Foundation has no official affiliation with the local Toys for Tots drives conducted for 50 years by the United States Marine Corps Reserve. In fact, the Marine Corps says, the Marine Corps’s Toys for Tots Foundation is recognized by the U.S. Marine Corps as the fund-raising and support organization for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.

Example: Ms. Kelly claims that American Charities for Reasonable Fundraising Regulation is led by the National Federation of Nonprofits, guided by its executive director, Lee Cassidy. In fact, neither I nor the National Federation of Nonprofits created A.C.F.R.F.R., nor do I lead it. In the group’s three-year life, two women have served as president (in spite of my hermaphroditic first name, I’m a man). I do serve as a member of the board of directors, and as treasurer. In that position, I can find no record of a contribution or membership by the American Military Society, which Ms. Kelly lists as a contributor.

Ms. Kelly also quotes Richard Allen of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, saying, “I’m frustrated that this segment of the charitable sector would seek to handcuff regulators.” She does not report that, more recently, Mr. Allen told me that, as part of a general revision of charitable-solicitation laws, his office would seek to eliminate registration and reporting by out-of-state fund-raising agencies, a key goal of A.C.F.R.F.R.

Example: Ms. Kelly strongly implies that the National Federation of Nonprofits changed its name from the Nonprofit Mailers Federation because of the “poor reputation” of the former name. In fact, the name was changed because the old name no longer reflected the totality of our work as advocates (not a trade association, as Ms. Kelly claims) for non-profits.

Example: Ms. Kelly claims that “The delay of four years [of preparation of new American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Statement of Position 98-2] is largely attributable to opposition by the National Federation of Nonprofits.” I wish that were so. In fact, virtually the entire delay was because the A.I.C.P.A. committee and staff working on the statement of position had other projects upon which they placed a higher priority.

Based upon what I’ve read so far, I have no plan to read the remaining 636 pages.

Lee M. Cassidy
Executive Director
National Federation of Nonprofits
Washington