Guiliani email links to dead website

The Washington Post today ran a story about how the Republican presidential candidates are lagging behind their Democratic counterparts when it comes to fund-raising.

Overall, Republican presidential candidates trailed Democrats in fundraising by nearly $100 million -- a gap that is unprecedented in 30 years.

Some Republican leaders said yesterday they are trying to determine whether the drought is merely a short-term setback -- the result of an unpopular president and a field of presidential candidates that has failed to capture the party's imagination -- or whether the Democrats' mastery of the Internet has changed the fundraising landscape.

Perhaps one of the reasons can be found in this funny blog post from Sarah Lai Stirland at Wired's Threat Level who points out that the Guiliani sent out a fundraising email today with a donation link to a dead website.

Ouch. It's hard to raise money when you make your donors jump through hoops.

How much do you think Peyton Manning's name is worth?

Rookie fundraisers make the mistake of thinking it is vanity that motivates hospitals to name a building after a major donor.

The truth is that when a living donor allows a hospital to name a building after them, it could be viewed as part of the donation and not just a reward for the ego.

For example, when St. Vincent Health in Indianapolis recently renamed its pediatric facility after Peyton Manning, it did so because of the money the football star's name would attract.

"By Peyton lending his name to our organization, he'll take a much more active role to help us raise additional funds," said St. Vincent Health Chief Executive Vince Caponi shortly before the name change. "As you can imagine, Peyton knows a lot of people I don't know."

Daniel Lee reported today at the Indianapolis Star that St. Vincent has said only that Manning and his wife, Ashley, made an unspecified donation, but the couple requested that the nature of the gift remain private.

St. Vincent seems to be wasting little time preparing to reach all of those people.

Since the Sept. 5 unveiling of the new name, St. Vincent has appointed a director of development, Michele Rodger Spencer, for the children's hospital. It is the first time St. Vincent will have a fundraising chief dedicated to its children's facility.

St. Vincent will set specific fundraising goals in the next month or two, said Kevin Speer, chief strategy officer. He added, "Putting Peyton's name on the building, it thrust us into a national spotlight overnight."

Kim Gattle, director of development and communications for the Center on Philanthropy at IU, called it "a gift of his social capital." So how much do I think Peyton's name is worth?

...oh wait! Before you answer, maybe it would be helpful to remember some other recent use of social capital on January 1, 2007. Britney Spears was paid $240,000 for her now-classic fainting performance at PURE on New Year's Eve. To count down from 10 to one and wish the crowd a Happy New Year, she was paid $16,000 a syllable.

Nonprofit pounces on SCHIP veto with Blogads campaign

It was no surprise that President Bush planned to veto the $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program today, but as soon as he did, the healthcare advocacy group, FamiliesUSA launched a well planned and well coordinated online response.

The group plans has been preparing to run an estimated 8 million impressions in the first week of the campaign on 14 blogs including Crooks and Liars, Democratic Underground, Firedoglake, Political Wire and Talking Points Memo.

Kate Kaye at The ClickZ Network published an excellent article today on the campaign:

Two ads mimicking streaming video units each display still photos of a child. The first ad to run features accompanying text that pushes viewers to visit the Families USA site, watch the :30 video ad, sign a petition and contact their congressional representatives about the veto. The petition encourages Congress to override the veto or send the bill back to President Bush.

In addition to building a database of supporters, the landing page (which is hosted on Convio) includes a fundraising call to action by asking supporters to help them run the online video on television. The campaign also received a virtual wave of media attention and even a blog post from Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Kaye's article also describes how another grassroots group called Results is running paid search ads targeted to the keyword "SCHIP" on Google. I've also heard that the conservative Heritage Foundation is also running paid search ads on the SCHIP search words.. but I haven't been able to locate it.. then again, ever since I asked Google to block evil liars from my search results, I haven't been able to find much on the Heritage Foundation.

Shakira gives $45 million to charity

Shakira announced an enormous $45 million charity donation yesterday in New York.

The Colombian superstar revealed that the charity she co-founded, Latin America for Solidarity Foundation, will donate $40 million to help earthquake stricken Peru and damage caused by a hurricane in Nicaragua.

She gave the news at a summit on global climate change yesterday, organised by Bill Clinton, says Reuters.

The singer also revealed a $5 million effort to help children in area who live in poverty.

Kids fundraising at liquor store?

I saw this letter to the editor in the Nashua Telegraph:

Am I the only person in New Hampshire who sees something terribly wrong with allowing our children to solicit funds outside the state-run liquor store?

On two different Saturdays in the month of September, I saw teenage cheerleaders standing outside the door of the liquor store on Coliseum Avenue. They were doing cheers to attract attention.I have to seriously question the logic behind having our children raising funds at the local liquor store.

What is the manager of the store thinking? How about the coach/director of these impressionable children?Most importantly, however, is what are these parents thinking?

Linette Lukawitz
Nashua

Good call Linette. Your powers of observation would make you a great guest blogger at Don't Tell the Donor.

Hockey team waxes their hair for fundraiser

Douglas Reid coaches the Central Cobra-Mavericks hockey team in New Zealand.

Unfortunately, it costs $18,000 each year for the team to compete in the New Zealand Hockey League and Reid doesn't like to charge his players more than $500 each.

When the coach started looking for a fundraising idea instead of the usual "sausage sizzle" the team usually throws he thought of a very painful idea. The players would eventually raise $5,000 by having their body hair waxed in the shape of sponsors.

Seventeen year old Nick Wilson had his legs waxed. Charles Jenkins got a strawberry flavour chest and armpit wax. Coach Reid had the letters "UR" waxed into his chest for IT company Unlimited Realities, who sponsored him $500 for the sacrifice.

Jody O'Callaghan at the Manawatu Standard reports that Reid then had a chest and back wax, which his wife in Scotland knew nothing about, for a further $1,000 worth of sponsorship.

I'm not sure if it's financial despair or male bravado, but either way I would hope stories like this make your fundraising responsibilities a little easier today.

Who are you calling small?

Anyone who has ever acted in a school play has heard the saying, "There are no small parts, only small actors." Milan Kundera is credited with the wise advice.

Well... someone should tell the Politico that the term "small donors" is offensive and insulting... I think the politically correct term is "low dollar donors."

Giuliani Party Seeks $9.11 Per Person

Rudy Giuliani's campaign is asking backers to participate in a national house party night on Wednesday.

A State Department adviser under President Reagan named Abraham Sofaer is having a fundraiser at his Palo Alto, California - but unfortunately for Guiliani the donor caused a controversy today when the Associated Press reported that the party aims to raise $9.11 per person.

Sofaer told the AP he had nothing to do with the "$9.11 for Rudy" theme and instead he blamed it on the kids by saying, "there are some young people who came up with it."

The International Association of Fire Fighters accused Republican Rudy Giuliani of exploiting the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and called the fundraiser an abuse of the image and symbols of the 2001 attacks. Others called the event "shameless."

A friend of the devil is a friend of mine... as they say

Newt Gingrich made news on Sunday by telling Fox News host Chris Wallace that he is planning to let potential donors decide whether he should run for President. He said he would run for President only if he could raise $30 million in pledges.

The former politician turned talking head announced that his longtime adviser Randy Evans would "spend the next three weeks checking with people around the country. If he reports back that, in fact, we think the resources are there for a real race.... then close to that we'll face a very big decision in late October."

Jonathan Stein at MoJo Blog was giddy at the possibility that one of Mother Jones Magazine's biggest targets will enter the presidential race. Stein seems almost itching for a fight against the polarizing conservative figure:

People say Hillary would fare poorly in a general election because she would energize Republicans. Newt Gingrich would do the same to Democrats, except times a thousand. So everyone get out your checkbooks and start mailing money to this Randy Evans fellow.

So, who is this Randy Evans fellow and why is the Presidential hopeful placing all his eggs in Evan's basket?

Evans works at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP where he has served as as outside counsel to both Newt Gingrich and J. Dennis Hastert, Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, as well as to House Majority Whip Roy Blunt and former Representative from Oklahoma and House GOP Chairman J.C. Watts.

In 1996, when Gringrich was facing ethics complaints made with the Committee on Standards in the United States House of Representatives he tapped Evans to represent him. Evans eventually negotiated an agreement that permitted Mr. Gingrich to remain as Speaker.

So I guess you could say Gringrich owes this fundraiser his job.

House Subcommittee schedules hearing on nonprofits

The House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee will hold a hearing to review whether tax-exempt charitable organizations are serving the needs of diverse communities.

Chairman John Lewis (D-GA) announced last week that the hearing will take place on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 2:00 p.m.

This hearing will focus on whether charitable organizations are serving diverse populations and communities. The hearing will discuss: the extent to which philanthropic dollars are being directed toward diverse communities; the actions tax-exempt organizations are taking to deal with issues and challenges that have arisen in identifying the needs of diverse communities; and the partnerships between governments and charitable organizations that are needed to reach and serve diverse populations. The Subcommittee will hear testimony on why developing a plan to serve diverse communities is important and beneficial.

If you would like to submit a comment, go here.

Link between donation, bill denied

The Los Angeles Times has a story about some political donations that sound shady:

One of the last things lawmakers did before they adjourned at 3:26 a.m. on Sept. 12 was to pass a measure that would make Anschutz Entertainment Group, owner of Staples Center, eligible for millions of dollars in state funds to improve the downtown area around its arena.

Hours later that same day, a $10,000 check from the Anschutz company arrived at the fundraising office of a political committee run by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland), who helped shepherd the legislation.

Company officials said they had committed to the donation in June and the check coincidentally arrived the same day the Legislature passed a bill the company had sought.

You see, back in November voters agreed to borrow $2.8 billion when they passed housing bond Proposition 1C. The legislation Anschutz sought would allow it, in partnership with Los Angeles, to apply for some of that big pie.

...but there is no reason to think the donation was linked to any quid pro quo, right?

Rap video makes college telemarketing cool

The rumors of telemarketing's death have been greatly exaggerated.

It can be a very effective integrated marketing technique and even though Trent Stamp hates it, telemarketing can also be an efficient and engaging way to keep in touch with your donors.

If your program is slumping maybe all you need is a cool rap video to train your callers. The telemarketers at the University of Toronto put this video together.

Hats off to Dori Sonntag for the posting of this video and other great college telemarketing training tips at her blog, Inspired Annual Giving.

Path of Professionalism in Fundraising

I wanted to take a moment today to recommend a great essay by Lilya Wagner over at onPhilanthrophy. Wagner is vice president for philanthropy at Counterpart International and has taught fundraising at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Her essay is entitled, "A Crossroads on the Path of Professionalism in Fundraising." It is extremely well researched and provides a list of over 50 articles and studies on the topic of fundraising as a career. She asks a lot of great questions.

Are we still the technicians, by choice or circumstances, who try to achieve pre determined goals set without our involvement, have no voice, practice a fill in the blanks type of fundraising in which we count the visits and follow those “ten easy steps,” follow and don't lead, and obey the rules without thinking about them? Or are we professionals who can command respect?

Are we proud of the research now available and being conducted in our field and does that information shape our practice? Do we adhere to the body of knowledge and fundamentals that dictate best practices? We have many publications, associations with clout, oversight organizations or “watchdogs,” and philanthropy and fundraising are the subject of books by ex-presidents and mainstream media publications. Do these influence us and our practice, or do we shrug off such indicators of professionalism as too academic and esoteric, choosing to focus on the technicalities of our jobs?

Take a moment and give it a read today... and we'll be back to scandals and gossip tomorrow.

Fundraisers crash online community launch

The past couple weeks I've been receiving emails from the Third Sector Daily - a group that describes themselves as the UK’s leading publication for everyone who needs to know what’s going on in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector. They usually have good stories about fundraising gossip, news, and tips. I recommend adding them to your RSS feed.

Well, a couple days ago I learned from Third Sector about a new fundraising research website called fResource which was slated to launch yesterday - and with a description like this, how could I not be excited:

fResource is the world's first online fundraising community where fundraisers and researchers from around the world can come together to share knowledge and experience of fundraising research, products and resources. We exist to promote fundraising research as a discipline in its own right within the fundraising sector, but we also want to show fundraisers how to utilise research skills and knowledge to help find new sources of funding. Our fResource database, for example, has the most comprehensive listings and reviews of products and resources on the internet bar none.

Well, unfortunately it seems like they underestimated the amount of traffic they would get on their launch day. After sending out an announcement email yesterday, Matthew Ide, the director, sent out this embarrassing email note:

Believe it or not the website seems to have crashed due to the sheer weight of traffic but we are working very hard to rectify the problem, so if you’ll please bear with us. We didn’t think everyone would hit it at once, which I guess is a mistake on my part, especially as I know how thirsty for knowledge you all are!

I haven't had a lot of time to play around on the database or community forum yet, but I would love readers to post their feedback or reactions in the comments below.

Smithsonian exceeds fundraising goal by more than 20 percent

The Smithsonian Institution surprised some skeptics on Monday by announcing they received about $140 million in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 - up from $132 million last year and about $25 million over its goal of $115 million.

Acting Secretary Cristian Samper said it was welcome news after a year when the Smithsonian saw lots of embarrassing coverage over the resignation of former Secretary Lawrence Small over questionable spending and excessive compensation.

I wish more nonprofits held public board meetings. Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas said the board expects to start holding at least one open meeting each year to hear from the public.

...but were the fundraisers surprised? Not really.

No matter how serious the problems were at the Smithsonian, I think most direct mail consultants would tell you that the press from a story like this has a negligible impact on low dollar donors. Workplace giving and special events probably went on as planned.

Scandals are not likely to impact the death rate of your donors - so planned giving was probably safe. In fact, I think any major donor fundraiser worth his/her salt should be able to use the scandal to their advantage.

I guess institutional giving from foundations and corporates could be vulnerable fundraising programs for other groups that experience such turmoil, but with the caliber of exhibitions at the Smithsonian they probably did fine as well.

Let's see if we can encourage someone from the Development staff at the Smithsonian to weigh in on our comment section below on why they were so damn successful. Maybe their goal was too low...?

Jordan's Queen Rania helps UNICEF fundraising

This past Thursday marked the start of Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim calendar. During this month long observance Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk and to give generously to the needy.

UNICEF marked the first day by introducing a televised fundraising campaign featuring Jordan's Queen Rania. The UN children's agency plan to air on pan-Arab television stations through the entire month of Ramadan.

This is not the Queen's first work with UNICEF. Her campaign in May of this year had a popular viral appeal and focused on the same issue of "the women and children who bear the greatest burden of the turbulence and violence that comes with conflict."

Mr. Rogers was one helluva fundraiser

Before leaving office, President Lyndon Johnson proposed a $20 million grant for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. President Nixon wanted that amount cut in half and the Senate held hearings in an attempt to reduce the funding.

On May 1, 1969, Mr. Fred Rogers testified before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications and in less than 7 minutes turned the tide and saved the entire $20 million for PBS.



The blogger that tipped me off to the video believes Mr. Rogers should be considered the best fundraiser ever.

Radar tricks screening process for presidential donations

Presidential campaigns always bring out the best worst in "gotcha journalism," but in this cycle folks seem a lot more willing to use donations in order to set up the story.

After Hillary Clinton's campaign announced they would refund money tied to donors linked to Norman Hsu, they also said they would run background checks on donors. Radar magazine tried to test this background check:

But maybe they should be running them on small donors as well: Last month, Radar made $5 donations to the Clinton, Giuliani, Obama, and Romney campaigns in the names of JonBenét Ramsey obsessive John Mark Karr; Joe Power, outspoken president of the North American Man/Boy Love Association's California chapter; and Sam G. Dickson, race-baiting lawyer for the Council of Conservative Citizens, an infamous white separatist group.

Contributions were made through the candidates' respective websites using customized gift cards. In each case, we supplied each donor's real name, address, employer, and position. The conclusion: All four candidates accepted our dirty money without a second thought.

There have already been a lot of critics to this story - including some who point out that the author probably broke federal election laws by stealing idenities in order to give to campaigns.

Michigan F.O.P. makes a terrible call

Grand Rapids police officer Bob Kozminski was killed in the line of duty on Sunday, July 8, 2007.

The Michigan Fraternal Order of Police is stirring up controversy by using the officer's death as part of a cold calling fundraising campaign. Callers apparently ask potential donors if they are aware that a Michigan police officer from Grand Rapids had been killed and was 29 years old and left behind a 3 year old daughter.

WZZM 13 News in Michigan talked to the Kozminski family and learned that even the officer's sister and mother both received the fundraising calls!

The family said they wished they would have been asked about using Bob's death to raise money. They would not have given permission because they say they don't have the time to research every fundraising firm.

The chapter's President, Sgt. John Kirkpatrick, says they have a fundraising firm that makes "cold" calls and they use a script to solicit donations. He says, "It makes reference to officers killed in the line of duty. Most recently we started using the script that makes reference to the Grand Rapids officer that was killed in the line of duty...although we do not use his name."

In their defense, the Michigan F.O.P says they donated about $2,000 to the Kozminski fund shortly after Bob's death in July - and they will suspend the calling... but how could they be so stupid to not even use a suppression on the family before calling.

Sheeraz Haji announces he is stepping down as President at Convio

In a move that shouldn't surprise many people, Sheeraz Haji, President of Convio, will announce today that he is stepping away from his day-to-day operations of the company.

In an email to clients, CEO Gene Austin will announce:

In the first quarter of 2008, Sheeraz will step aside as President and focus on his role as an active member of the Board of Directors for Convio. In this role he remains committed to the success of our organization and will stay visible as an advocate for helping nonprofits use the Internet to take relationships to new levels.

Perhaps it was fitting the 34 year old Haji broke the news by email, "After more than seven years of building GetActive and Convio, I'm ready to take some time off and eventually pursue a new venture."

Convio announced two weeks ago they were pursuing an initial public offering of the company and in the filings it was stated that Haji had at least 385,826 shares of Series S common stock.

Clever fundraising campaign title

I noticed today that a local United Way chapter in the town of Mexico, Missouri launched a fundraising campaign today with the title, 'Give Until It Helps.’

If fundraising campaigns were decided based solely on how clever the marketing tagline was, this group should have no trouble reaching their $134,000 goal... unfortunately, cute slogans only get you started.

Clinton announces $850,000 refund to donors

An estimated 260 donors will receive refunds totaling approximately $850,000 from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign.

Monday night Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a statement, "In light of recent events and allegations that Mr. Norman Hsu engaged in an illegal investment scheme, we have decided out of an abundance of caution to return the money he raised for our campaign."

Since 2004, Hsu has donated $260,000 to Democratic Party groups and federal candidates, and raised hundreds of thousands of additional dollars. He was regarded as a top party fundraiser until recent reports surfaced that he was wanted on a warrant in California in connection with a 1991 grand theft charge.

Republicans who have been tarnished by recent political scandals have jumped on this story and it's ongoing drama ever since the Wall Street Journal first broke the story. But this appears to be bigger than any one party.

What strikes me about this twist in the story is that normally politicians who have accepted donations from people they later wish not to be connected make a show of donating the money to charity. It happened to many people tied to Jack Abramoff.

In this case, the money Clinton is refunding was not donated by Hsu himself, it was linked to his bundling efforts - a process of collecting checks from others. It is suspected of being fruit from the poisonous tree.

I guess the public accepts the practice of bundling as a response to campaign finance laws, either because we think we are powerless to stop it or because we imagine the process is similiar to selling your nephew's candybars at the office - only on a larger scale.

But as we begin to peel back the layers of the Norman Hsu story we are beginning to hear ugly details of paper companies making wire transfers to a secretive network of eventual political donors it reveals a dark shady fundraising practice that's about to get a lot more attention.

Doonesbury does Second Life philanthropy

Lucy Bernholz at Philanthrophy 2173 reminds us that once something goes mainstream, it's time to find the next big thing.

Sunday, September 9 the strip ran a bit on philanthropy and fundraising in Second Life. (if the strip doesn't come up on this link, scroll to 9/9/07)

Thanks for the link Lucy.

Some Friday fun - with celebrities!

We all love celebrity gossip... don't even pretend you don't. If you are reading this blog, there is a pretty good chance you also read Perez Hilton, TMZ, or some other celebrity blog.

Today, I stumbled on to Celebs Done Good. They use a cool mix of celebrity gossip, funny pictures, and current events about philanthropy of good deeds. The blog is produced by the cool folks over at DoSomething.org.

Look at this cool description on the group's website:

We believe young people have the power to make a difference. It is our aim to inspire, support and celebrate a generation of do-ers: people who see the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action.

Our website is a community where young people learn, listen, speak, vote, volunteer, ask, and take action to make the world a better place. Currently, only 23% of this generation actively volunteers. Our hope is to create a do something generation: a world where more than 51% of young people are involved with community action.

Now that's a freakin' mission statement.

Is NOZA about to launch a free foundation grant research database today?

Don't Tell the Donor received a tip that NOZA, Inc. is set to launch a free private beta of a new foundation grant research database at the CARA Conference in Orange County, CA later today.

If true, the announcement is sure to send shockwaves through the multi-million dollar industry that currently charges nonprofits to research potential foundations who may (or may not) be interested in reviewing grant applications. Why, you ask?

Several weeks ago Waddy Thompson had an article in the Nonprofit Times profiling the differences between five different products:

* The Foundation Center's Foundation Directory Online
* FoundationSearch
* GuideStar's Grant Explorer
* GrantStation
* Prospect Research Online (aka PRO Platinum)

Toward the end of the article he offers this as part of his conclusion, "With fees ranging from $19.95 for one month to nearly $2,500 for a year (with no monthly option), price definitely becomes an issue." In addition to the financial costs, I know many fundraisers who spend lots of time traveling in order to research foundations.

In fact, one industry insider told me that nonprofits collective probably spend well over $20 million a year for foundation research. How will the Foundation Center and other nonprofits react when this revenue stream is threatened? What will this mean for the for-profit businesses of Metasoft and the Chronicle of Philanthropy's grant lookup product?

If fundraisers could find close to one million grant records when the free foundation database launches at nozasearch.com - that certainly will be a game changer.

Ongoing fundraising saga for Flight 93 Memorial

This blog has given the fundraising folks at the Flight 93 National Memorial a hard time over the past year because they have raised less than half of the $30 million they need.

In January, we wrote about how they were blaming their consultants at Ketchum and fired them. In April, we profiled how the group had shifted to a direct mail approach. In August, we pointed out that there was more blame to go around.

Now today, I was stunned to hear this twist:

Apparently back in December of 2001, state Sen. Jane Orie had an idea to raise $10,000 by selling a thousand wristbands for $10 each. Within the first year the Hearts of Steel campaign had sold 100,000 wristbands and had raised $1,000,000!

In fact, federal rules forced the Hearts of Steel fund to close in 2003 and be placed in trust when it grew to $1 million.

Officials plan to announce Thursday that money from the campaign will be transferred to The Pittsburgh Foundation, a move that will free the fund from those regulations and allow money-raising to begin again for the construction of a Flight 93 memorial in Somerset County.

Holy cow. So, let me get this right... while the official group's fundraising has stalled as the fundraisers tried to figure out whether to take a major donor, corporate, or low dollar approach... the one idea that seems to have worked really well was stopped because of some technicalities almost 4 years ago - and is ONLY NOW being re-started??!?!

But why use The Pittsburgh Foundation? Why not transfer the bracelet money directly to the federal memorial account?

The best part of Bill Clinton's appearance on Oprah

You may have heard that Bill Clinton officially kicked off his publicity tour for his new book: Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World.

A big part of the PR tour was taping an appearance on Oprah. Several news outlets have been reporting the story from the angle that Oprah and Clinton are both big donors... but for me, the show was stolen by Matt and Jessica Flannery, co-founders of Kiva, who were sitting in the front row.

You can read Matt's intense description of the event on his Kiva Chronicles blog:

I couldn't pay perfect attention. About 45 minutes into the show, the Kiva segment began. A tape rolled highlighting Anne Brown, an artisan in Seattle who lent money to a seamstress in Ecuador. I didn't watch too closely because I didn't want to be too emotional as the biggest interview in my life would begin.

Then she called on us. Our most likely scenario was that Oprah would focus on Jessica, given that is a women-centric show. We were wrong -- she focused on me. How much has Kiva loaned so far? How does it make you feel? How long does it take for an entrepreneur to get funded? I could answer these questions in my sleep. However, they came out in slow motion. I didn't make any big mistakes. I was serviceable, not incredible. Since that time, I've replayed the answers in my head, second guessing every word. I'll probably never get the chance to address that many people again in my life. Thinking about it too much can drive you crazy.

She turned to Jess and asked about her inspiration. Jess got emotional. It was an emotional moment. She delivered a heart felt account of how we began Kiva. It was one of the more moving parts of the show.

The President and Ms. Winfrey spent the next few minutes talking about the power of the Internet and "the Kiva model." Watching this was truly surreal. If you had told me a year ago that I would watch these two people discussing Kiva in front of millions on TV, I would have laughed. I cannot tell you how ridiculous it would have seemed. It still seems imaginary.

My hat goes off to the Flannery's amazing work these past 10 months.

Jerry Lewis raises over $63 million; drops F-bomb on live television

When you are on television for a 21 and a half hour live telethon, a national television audience can forgive you if you get tired... but will they forgive Jerry Lewis for calling someone (or something) an "illiterate faggot" during the 18th hour of his broadcast?

Some gossip blogs have raised the question whether Lewis actually said, "fatty" instead. Either way, it's a major on air faux pas. You can watch the video for yourself here.

Lewis reps did not have a comment for TMZ about the slip, but according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Jerry Lewis 42nd Labor Day Telethon set a record of $63,759,478 in contributions and pledges.

The telethon does not use a lot of "A-list" celebrities (this year included: Ed McMahon, Jann Carl,Tom Bergeron, and Alison Sweeney), but it did rely on MDA's largest national sponsor, the International Association of Fire Fighters, to present checks representing the agency's year-round fund-raising efforts in the record amount of $25 million.

You gotta hand it to Jerry... even though there are critics of some of the marketing tactics, that's a lot of money to raise. Let's see when/how he issues an apology for using what I consider hate speech.

UPDATE: At 8:20pm, we saw that Jerry Lewis issued this apology:

"I made a joking comment to a member of my production team," he said in a statement issued to CNN. "I apologize to anyone who was offended. I, obviously, made a bad choice of words. Everyone who knows me, understands that I hold no prejudices in this regard. In the family atmosphere of the telethon, I forget that not everyone knows me that well; that something like this would distract from the true purpose of the telethon pains me deeply."

What will Blackbaud buy next?

The Nonprofit Times was quick to follow-up the Convio IPO news by reviewing some of the online chatter about what Blackbaud plans to do next.

When a company spends $90 million in two years, it tends to get tongues wagging. And there has been no shortage of opinions in the nonprofit technology community regarding the impact of the $24.8 million acquisition of online donor management and advocacy tool eTapestry by software giant Blackbaud.
...
Blackbaud might not be finished. In public announcements and filings, the firm disclosed it had established a credit line of $75 million. The acquisition of eTapestry leaves another $50 million.

I've made it clear, if they are interested in buying this website, they wouldn't need to spend all that cash. If you were running the ship at Blackbaud, what/who would you buy next? Do they make a purchase based on what they feel would make their company stronger? Do they make a defensive play based on what Convio is doing? Will they buy DonorPerfect?

I posted a couple weeks ago that there were rumors Oracle could be considering an acquisition of Blackbaud. I've been told that isn't going to happen, but who knows?

What about Kintera? Given the fact that the stock has fallen more than 80% from its high, it seems like a bargain now... or are others just waiting for Kintera to go bankrupt?

Alumni from elite schools give donations to needier schools

Zachary Seward at the Wall Street Journal had a great article yesterday on what he sees as a growing trend by alumni of elite universities donating to needier colleges instead of their alma maters.

Turned off by massive endowments at the nation's top schools, they seek to make a greater impact at less-wealthy institutions. They are probably also aware of a fringe benefit: getting your name on a building is a cheaper proposition at schools not accustomed to seven-figure donations.

Those ivy league kids sure know how to bargain shop.

Contributions to higher education by nonalumni rose 14% last year, to $5.7 billion, according to the Council for Aid to Education in New York. In comparison, alumni gave $8.4 billion to their own schools, the council says. A review of the council's data indicates that less-prosperous schools are more likely to rely on gifts from outside their alumni base than their own graduates.

Not only is Havard aware of the trend, materials distributed to fund-raising volunteers include a response to the questions about whether the school needs more money given that it already has a large endowment.

Convio registers for IPO

The Associated Press is reporting that Convio Inc., which provides fundraising and advocacy software and services for nonprofit organizations, plans an initial public offering, according to a regulatory filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In the six months ended June 30, Convio's losses widened to $7.5 million from $6.2 million in the prior-year period. During the same period, Convio's revenue increased to $20.8 million from $15.5 million.

Convio plans to use the net proceeds from the offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes. The company said it may also use some of the net proceeds to repay debt or make acquisitions.

Convio indicated the offering price could total up to $86.3 million and they also indicated that some stockholders will sell shares in the offering.

* UPDATE: The Non-Profit Tech Blog has the "juicy" details about how many shares individuals own, detailed revenue and expenses, what they perceive as risks to their business, and more details from the SEC filing.

* UPDATE #2: The Austin Business Journal reported tonight that Convio was founded in 1999 and has 181 employees in Austin, and about 300 companywide

Former Senate aide arrested after crashing presidential fundraiser

Did you hear the story about the wild weekend in Martha's Vineyard for former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland’s top aide? Jim Galloway at the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a pretty full description, but he quotes from the Vineyard Gazette:

Police say 31-year-old Michael Duga used a credential identifying himself as the chief of staff to former Sen. Maxwell Cleland of Georgia to gain access to the event.

Once inside, he purported to be a top official for the Edwards campaign to some while representing himself as a paying guests to others. According to Mr. MacDonald, the host of the event, Mr. Duga was neither.

Then there was this:

Mr. Duga’s appearance at the fundraiser was only part of his bizarre behavior over the weekend. Although police are not sure when Mr. Duga arrived on the Island, they believe he rented a room in a bed and breakfast in Aquinnah where he asked another guest if he could borrow their vehicle to find better cell phone service.

Mr. Duga then reportedly drove the vehicle, a Chevy Suburban, to the Edwards fundraiser where he worked most of the night at the front table where people purchased tickets. Toward the end of the fundraiser, Mr. Duga reportedly tried to stop a photographer from taking pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.

According to the police report, Mr. Duga got a ride to the airport with the Edwards party after the event, although he missed the flight to the next campaign stop.

Instead, Mr. Duga spent the night on the Island, and was next spotted Saturday around 8 a.m. when the Menemsha Coast Guard Station called Chilmark police to report a suspicious person on their property. Coast Guard officials later told police Mr. Duga was looking through paperwork and made some telephone calls from the Coast Guard boat house without permission.

I mean, maybe the stolen documents and breaking into a Coast Guard boat house was a bit much... but who hasn't tried to crash a fundraiser before?

Does fundraising dip when nonprofits merge?

According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, there are 1,297 United Way organizations. In the past three years, 81 of the agencies have merged "in search of the efficiencies found when private companies streamline."

Nationally, other nonprofit organizations also are consolidating. Girl Scouts USA is hoping to shrink from 312 councils to 109. Red Cross chapters are also merging across the country in attempts to reduce costs by cutting overhead.

Ironically, while costs may be reduced - there appears to be anecdotal evidence that fundraising is also reduced following a merger.

The United Way of Northwest Arkansas formed July 1, combining the 14 employees from the United Way of Washington County and United Way of Benton County.

The group’s $ 4. 5 million fundraising goal, announced earlier this month, is $ 100, 000 less than the separate bodies collected last year.

“There is uncertainty at first, but after two or three years, it goes back up,” Darling said. “I’m hopeful that we won’t see that dip, but we aren’t going to raise a lot more money just because we’ve merged together, either.”

The United Way of America has never researched the short term impact of mergers on contributions, but the national organization says it is interested in looking into it.

A little inspired fundraising humor

Dori Sonntag is the Director of Annual Giving at Gonzaga University. She publishes her own fundraising blog called Inspired Annual Giving.

It's a great new site and it makes me jealous that she uses her real name and identity when posting... but she also made me laugh with this video today.

New Hampshire charities gamble and lose

The Nashau Telegraph is reporting that authorities in New Hampshire suspect a fundraising company stole up to $90,000 that was supposed to go to area non-profits.

WMUR reported that thirteen nonprofits did not receive any fundraising money after hiring New England Fundraising to host gambling nights for charity. Owner, Joseph Ross of Nashua, said the company has gone out of business, leaving several area non-profit groups short on expected revenue from fundraisers.

The groups didn’t lose money, but didn’t receive the money they expected from Ross’s fundraisers because he wasn’t able to keep the venture going, he said. Ross estimated that his company owes less than $60,000, but there’s no money to cover it, he said Friday.

One example is the Nashua Soccer Club - it was supposed to get $5,000 for a gambling night back in January. The other charities that have subsequently complained to state authorities that they received no money are:

Actorsingers
Cinderella Project
Derry Friendship Center
Holderness After School Care and Enrichment Program
Nashua Center for the Multiply Handicapped
Nashua Fireman's Association
Nashua Flute Choir
NH Philharmonic Orchestra
NH Pro Drivers Association
Phillipine American Group Assisting Social Aid
Southern NH HIV/AIDS

The state has suspended the license of the New England Fund Raising Co. for the remainder of 2007.

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.

A "wiser strategy" would be to apologize

Tom Belford at The Agitator took Jennifer Donahue from NARAL to task because of this quote written about Jennifer in Fundraising Success Magazine:

She advised organizations follow their data and what it tells them about donors and to use that data to shepherd both donors and activists through the proper channels of giving “because you know them better than they know themselves.”

Tom was outraged. However, to be honest, after reading the entire article I am confused by what he is talking about. There is no proof that Jennifer has ever done any of the things tom thinks are bad. (who said mail 'em till they drop??)

To the best of my knowledge, I've never met Jennifer. I have no personal reason for me to defend her or even to get involved... but there actually is proof within the article that Jennifer has already done the exact suggestions Tom is making.

Tom suggests a "wiser strategy" which includes: acquiring the highest possible value donors by asking for higher denominations in appeals with revelant messages and then working your butt off to convert those donors into monthly donors and/or ask them to donate online.

This is great and it makes perfect sense... but, isn't that exactly what NARAL has already been doing successfully for several years now? Duh.

At worst, it was a mistake for Jennifer to be quoted as saying "have no mercy," but I think Tom should apologize for insinuating that NARAL needs a "wiser strategy" for fundraising.

Oprah's rules for Obama's donors

It's no secret that Oprah loves Barrack Obama's campaign for president. Early next month, Oprah is hosting a garden party fundraiser for Obama.

The LA Times reported Saturday on the instructions being sent to donors by Julianna Smoot, Obama's national finance director.

Among the rules told to donors: no gifts for either Obama or Oprah will be accepted on site, security procedures to prevent ticket re-sales, and even dress code expectations.

First, you need to wear "Garden Attire." And that don't mean clothes to go garden in, folks. It means summery, sheer, lots of linen, maybe some floppy hats, blazers, contrasting slacks and open collars for the guys (because you know Barack likes open collars).

Finally, the event at Oprah's house in Montecito is not being called "a fundraiser" -its being called "a celebration."

Blackbaud blogs reveal news.... and gossip

If you use Raiser's Edge or any Blackbaud product in your fundraising program - you might be familiar with BlogBaud.com - a nonprofit blog written by Blackbaud employees.

You may also be familiar that others besides this site - like the Nonprofit Tech Blog - are covering Blackbaud's acquisition of eTapestry.

Less well known - yet very interesting is a group called the Blackbaud User Society (BlackBUS). Their blog and discussion board is a non-vendor suite of forums created and maintained by volunteers in order to share experiences, ideas and other relevant information as users of products from Blackbaud. They claim that of the 15,000 clients, they just registered the 1000th member of the BlackBUS community... that's 7% of all clients.

Finally. Even if you knew about those two pieces, you most likely haven't heard that Oracle could be considering an acquisition of Blackbaud. Barron's Online quoted Cowen's Peter Goldmacher as saying BLKB is on his list of Oracle's potential targets.

Hmmmm..... maybe Oracle is interested in buying this blog.

Vote in our new poll

I added a cool new feature to the Don't Tell the Donor blog. The poll question in the top right corner could provide some fun feedback... but we need your help. When you see a new poll on this site, in the next couple weeks, please take a second to answer.

Our site meter tells me this site is generating between 2,000 and 3,000 unique readers each month - and we're growing. Our feedburner just spiked above 300 for the first time since we launched this site.

Why not forward this blog to a couple fundraising friends today and ask them to sign up for our email feed? Help grow the community.

For regular readers that don't know - this blogspot page recently acuqired a new URL:

http://www.donttellthedonor.org/

Both sites continue to point the same place, but please bookmark using the new .org URL above.

Flight 93 Memorial fundraising still slow

Kecia Bal at The Tribune-Democrat published an excellent article today on the fundraising challenges facing the Flight 93 National Memorial.

One might expect that, after five years of fundraising, more than $12 million would have been raised nationally.

Particularly since Shanksville became an American icon: The first symbolic counterstrike against the terrorists; the riveting cell phone calls from plane to home and vice versa; heroics that prevented a crash at the Capitol.

Some people have blamed the slow fundraising on the fact that Shanksville is in the middle of nowhere:

One challenge is that corporate donations are more likely to go to the memorials in the metropolitan areas, said Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, a Chicago-based charity watchdog group.

“It’s not as attractive from a marketing standpoint,” he said. “It’s not all about altruism. It’s about courting favor with the public and gaining publicity.”

But this blog previously reported in April of this year that fundraising trouble was brewing.

Officials involved in the memorial began in April a transition to let go of Ketchum Inc., a Pittsburgh agency retained two years ago to generate the $30 million.

The National Park Foundation, which is chartered by Congress to serve in a philanthropic role, is to take on new aspects of fundraising.

I recommend the entire article for more of a detailed analysis.

Blackbaud buys eTapestry

Paul Clolery at The Nonprofit Times reported earlier this week on yet another consolidation in the online fundraising arena:

Nonprofit software provider Blackbaud has made its second major acquisition this year, buying online donor management and advocacy tool eTapestry. During the past two years Blackbaud has spent more than $90 million on acquisitions in the nonprofit software and advocacy marketplace.

The eTapestry deal further consolidates the online advocacy message delivery and fundraising market. Convio in Austin, Texas acquired GetActive Software of Berkeley, Calif., earlier this year.

Blackbaud will pay $24.8 million for eTapestry and up to another $1.5 million under a two-year, stock-based performance incentive arrangement. eTapestry had unaudited revenue of approximately $7 million for 2006, according to a Blackbaud spokesperson. The company did not make any of their executives immediately available for interview but did provide statements.

Blackbaud's stock price surged 10% following Monday's news.

Maybe Blackbaud would be interested in buying this blog? I'd be a lot cheaper than $25 million. If you want to read more about the acquisition, go here.

Did Fox News host Gibson's show slander John Edwards?

Media Matters posted a rather disturbing story last night:

On the August 3[rd] edition of Fox News host John Gibson's nationally syndicated radio program, the show's executive producer, who goes by the name "Angry Rich" on the program, claimed Democratic presidential candidate former Sen. John Edwards (NC) "whored his wife's cancer as a fundraising gimmick." He also went on to call him "a fraud" and "a pansy."

What's really interesting is that Media Matters and John Gibson have already engaged in a sparring match earlier this summer over fundraising. The website ran this clip on July 6th.

Gibson claimed that Media Matters has been "taking money from the Tides Foundation, which is a George Soros-funded operation. Over a short period of years, got $3.5 million, and they spend all their time now attacking anybody who breathes a word about not liking Hillary." As previously indicated, Soros has never given money to Media Matters, either directly or through another organization. As Media Matters documented when Fox News host Bill O'Reilly falsely suggested that Soros funded Media Matters through the Tides Foundation, Soros' Open Society Institute's donations to Tides were all designated for specific programs, and Media Matters was not included on this list.

If you'd liked to contact this "Angry Rich" guy, I guess you can use this website.

Newsom fundraising down 40 percent

Joe Lynne at Fog City Journal has detailed some reasons why San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's fundraising numbers could be off 40 percent from the 2003 election cycle.

The truth is... there are several reasons, not the least of which is that Newsom admitted having an affair with the wife of Alex Tourke - his campaign manager, chief of staff, and close friend.

What's even more impressive is that the author predicted fundraising trouble way back in February.

Strange bedfellows accuse Humane Society of "fudging it" in fundraising appeal

I don't like the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF). For me, the group has never been able to elevate above its reputation that it was anymore more than a conservative front group with questionable funding sources.

The group was created in 1995 as the Guest Choice Network by Richard Berman, executive director of the public affairs firm Berman and Company, with $600,000 from the Philip Morris tobacco company. It didn't take long for CCF to get donations from the same companies Richard Berman represented through trades association.

The supporters list as of December 1996 included Alliance Gaming (slot machines), Anheuser-Busch (beer), Bruss Company (steaks and chops), Cargill Processed Meat Products, Davidoff (cigars), Harrah's (casinos), Overhill Farms (frozen foods), Philip Morris, and Standard Meat Company (steaks). The group's Advisory Panel comprised representatives from most of these companies, plus further representatives from the restaurant industry, Senator George McGovern, and Carl Vogt of law firm Fulbright and Jaworski.

Make no mistake. The CCF has a scary agenda. It has been set up to expose embarrassing missteps of grassroots local groups that challenge the industries represented by Richard Berman.

So, I knew I was going to have a problem when a longtime reader sent me an email asking me simply to consider a link to a webpage set up by CCF that accuses The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) of intentional deception during its recent fundraising campaign on the Michael Vick dogfighting case.

Let’s recap: Vick was indicted on July 17. The next day, HSUS was raising money on the promise that it would be used to “care for” Vick’s dogs.

The Humane Society must have realized they shouldn't be raising "restricted gifts" if the group wasn't going to be closely involved with the case. So they changed their website to a more generic dogfighting message. It's interesting that the "Vick campaign" fundraising page doesn't mention Vick's name at all.

The expose at CCF points to recent article in the New York Times that not only wasn’t HSUS “caring for” them, but its president had no idea who is, or where. And -- oh, yes -- he’d very much like them dead.

Wow. That's a pretty fierce critique of HSUS's aggressive fundraising. No fundraiser wants to get caught raising money for something it might not even be doing. But would it change your mind about giving a potential donation - just because they sent a fundraising email saying they were going to care for the dogs seized and then weren't involved in that process?

And does it change your mind that this information is coming from the Center for Consumer Freedom - a group I describe as a front group for conservative business interests?

Strange bedfellows indeed... and that's without even talking about the identity of the person who send us the email tip ...or even the writer on this blog.

UPDATE: Wayne Pacelle, thePresident and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, posted this response to the CCF on his blog.

Take the DTTD poll

We've added a poll to the upper right section of the blog asking readers what they would like to see more of on this site. Feel free to choose more than one option. The poll will be open for one week.

You can also leaves your comments to this post. Thanks for the feedback.

Also, please note that you can now visit DontTellTheDonor.org directly to access this blog.

Fundraising consultant leaves Thompson campaign after lackluster month

Presidential campaigns always seem to offer the best gossip.

Only days after Fred Thompson reported lackluster fundraising numbers, the Associated Press is reporting that a top fundraising consultant is leaving the campaign.

Kim Kaegi, whose company was paid $35,000 in June, said Wednesday that her work was only meant to include the startup phase of the actor-politician's "testing the waters" fundraising effort.

It was less than a month ago that the Washington Post ran a story on the powerful players on the Thompson team:

But Thompson has Jim Haslam, the CEO of Pilot Travel Center and a Bush Ranger, as well as Michael Lebovitz, also a Bush Ranger, in his camp. Dorinda Moss, a native of Tennessee, is Thompson's national finance director.

Less well known but no less important is Kim Kaegi, a Tennessee fundraiser extraordinaire who has collected cash for nearly every serious GOP candidate in the state over the last several cycles. Kaegi was the driving force behind Sen. Bob Corker's (R-Tenn) 2006 campaign in which he raised more than $13 million.

While Kaegi called it a "stretch" to speculate that her departure was related to lower-than-expected totals.

Ok Kim. Just keep telling yourself that.

Kerry sends fundraising email for The Jimmy Fund

I have friends who are democrats and leading up to the 2004 presidential election they got more email from John Kerry than they did from their own families. While the subjects were always a different "hot" issue - the campaign always asked for money.

Today, my friend said he got yet another email from John Kerry. The e-mailed request bears the heading "Because I was lucky," but the real surprise was the subject of the note.

The former presidential candidate said, "help John Kerry support the Jimmy Fund." He writes that he'll be among the 200 or so riders who are cancer survivors. "At the fund-raising training sessions for the event, they tell you to e-mail your friends for their help. But I don't suppose they realized I had 3 million friends in my e-mail address book."

He told Bella English at the Boston Globe:

"It's a good feeling," said Kerry, 63, who spoke on his way to Belmont Wheelworks, the bike store he frequents. He needed a new wheel for his custom-built Serotta and had to get his bicycle cleats fixed before this weekend's Pan-Massachusetts Challenge. He'll join 4,300 other cyclists to benefit cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Kerry, an avid cyclist, has participated in the fund-raiser three times before, raising $12,475. He's also biked for cancer research in Iowa with Lance Armstrong, a two-time survivor, and wears on his left wrist the yellow rubber "Livestrong" bracelet worn by millions of Armstrong fans.

This year, for the first time, he sent a charitable pledge plea to his database of 3 million supporters. You can see the email here.

Or you can sponsor John Kerry at this website.

Organ donors fear doctors want them dead

You've heard the jokes before. Potential organ donors worry that doctors won't try as hard to save their lives once they find out the potential donors have agreed to give up their organs.

Since there are some 97,000 people currently awaiting a transplant nationally - any dip in the donation rate would have grave consequences. However, a criminal case in California could lead to exactly the kind of bad press the organ transplant community fears.

On Monday, prosecutors in California's San Luis Obispo County charged 33-year-old Hootan Roozrokh, a rising transplant surgeon, with prescribing massive amounts of drugs in an attempt to hasten the death of 25-year-old Ruben Navarro, who was physically and mentally disabled.

Kevin Chaffin, an attorney for Navarro's mother, Rosa, told Alicia Chang at the Associated Press the case chalked up to “predatory harvesting practices.”

Attempts to recover the organs were abandoned because Navarro did not die within the 30 minutes after being taken off life support when his organs would be suitable for transplantation. He was returned to the intensive care unit where he died the next day.

Roozrokh was charged with three felony counts and faces up to eight years in state prison if convicted. Roozrokh planned to surrender this week and post $10,000 bail.

You can read the rest of the story here.