10,000 donors warned not to attempt "swift boat" attacks

There is no question that scurrilous attacks by the infamous 527 group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth helped sink Senator John Kerry’s presidential bid in 2004. However, this year a new group is warning conservative donors that any attempt to use the same "Swift Boat" tactics will be meet with an aggressive response.

Led by Tom Matzzie (pictured here), the group Accountable America is planning to send 10,000 top conservative donors a warning letter next week. According to the New York Times:

“We want to stop the Swift Boating before it gets off the ground,” said Mr. Matzzie, who described his effort as “going for the jugular.”

The warning letter is intended as a first step, alerting donors who might be considering giving to right-wing groups to a variety of potential dangers, including legal trouble, public exposure and watchdog groups digging through their lives.

The group is also hoping to be able to respond if an outside conservative group broadcasts a television advertisement attacking Senator Barack Obama, or another Democratic candidate, by running commercials exposing the donors behind the advertisements.

Of particular interest are major GOP donors "including Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire casino mogul, and Mel Sembler, a former ambassador and real estate magnate, both major donors to Freedom’s Watch, a conservative group.

It remains to be seen how successful Accountable America will be since outside political groups organized as 501(c)4 entities do not have to disclose the names of their donors.

In fact, Ed Patru, a spokesman for Freedom’s Watch told the New York Times that if donors feel too scared to fund deceptive or slanderous attack ads - his group is more than willing to continue shielding them from public scrutiny.

Group challenges ethics of police telemarketing campaign

A new organization called 2 CENTS is publicly challenging the fundraising practices of the Sarasota-based International Union of Police Associations (’IUPA’) and their for-profit telemarketing contractor.

The group claims that "IUPA raised $4.8 million in public donations last year, but spent $4.3 million of those donations in the fundraising process, including $1.9 million in fees to a for-profit telemarketing company called LAS, LLC."

According a press release on Marketwatch, 2 CENTS recently "voiced support for a resolution that will be introduced at the national convention of the IUPA on August 6-9 in Orlando, Florida. The Resolution on Ethical Fundraising will request that IUPA comply with the standards set forth by the Association of Professional Fundraisers."

Last month, 2 CENTS sent out another press release where they complained about telemarketers at IUPA having criminal records. At the time, the group said they were "highlighting poor telemarketing practices that deceive the public" and that they believed that the telemarketing industry requires greater scrutiny, especially since telemarketers handle sensitive consumer information such as credit card numbers.

They went on to say "2 CENTS believes law enforcement organizations should have higher standards for fundraising. Allowing people who engage in such behavior to solicit donations is irresponsible."

I'm interested to see how IUPA responds next week to the increasingly loud drum of protest 2 CENTS is banging.

Donor withdraws $3 million gift after regent calls him "bully and tyrant"

The Winston-Salem Journal has a great story about a sensitive donor who didn't take kindly to a negative job review:

The chancellor of Nevada’s higher-education system says that he and his family will no longer consider donating $3 million to one of its schools after a regent’s negative comments in his job evaluation.

In his written evaluation June 22, regent Ron Knecht wrote that John Rogers “is known primarily as a self-absorbed, self-indulgent bully and tyrant, given to rashly going off at little or no provocation.”

The donor said he didn't feel like giving money after receiving the "flogging."

Turf battle erupts in Vermont over autism fundraising walk

Last year, Autism Speaks organized its first fundraising walk in Burlington, Vermont. The walk attracted more than 400 participants and raised nearly $35,000. By many accounts the event was a success, however some parents began to question why they were raising money for national research when local families in Vermont needed immediate assistance.

As a result, one of last year's community sponsors - a group called Autism Support Daily - decided to organize their own walk and call it the Second Annual Vermont Walk on Saturday, September 29th. Rather than give up the event they helped organize - Autism Speaks is fighting back by organizing their own walk on Sunday, September 30th at the same park!

As a result of this dispute, it's likely both groups will only raise a fraction of what was raised last year. While both groups have maintained an amicable relationship in public - some of the messages in private message boards have expressed frustration and confusion.

In response to an email from this blog, Lynn George, the President of Autism Support Daily had this to say:

We appreciate that Autism Speaks raises money for much needed research, however, the families in our area are struggling and need as much support as we can provide for their children now.

While the total amount of money at stake in this "turf battle" is not major - it remains to be seen whether pressure from local groups will potentially erode the fundraising base for large national groups like Autism Speaks.

Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob Wright, Vice Chairman of General Electric, and his wife Suzanne, to improve public awareness about autism and to promote autism research. In 2006 the organization merged with National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and with Cure Autism Now, a 10-year-old organization based in Los Angeles that is primarily involved fund-raising for a variety of autism research.