Charity Donors Need Safeguards

Orange County residents are generous. They give to all kinds of worthy causes; they have donated more than $70 million to build the Orange County Performing Arts Center that opens Monday night.

And last year Orangewood, the county’s new home for dependent children, was opened, thanks to $6.5 million in private donations ranging from pennies given by children to million-dollar gifts.

Those are but two of the most visible fund drives in the county. There are hundreds more going on all the time to help fight disease, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and support the arts. The generous donors are moved to give to causes close to their hearts.

We agree with Supervisor Harriett Wieder that contributors should know whether their money is going to legitimate charities and how much of it is used to cover administrative costs.

The county has an ordinance that requires organizations soliciting money to file a statement detailing the purpose, need and method of solicitation. The declaration must also show how much of the donated money goes to cover administrative costs and how much goes to the charity.

But Wieder is concerned that the ordinance, enacted 36 years ago, is not doing its job. Last Tuesday, she told the Board of Supervisors that the ordinance has been lying dormant for years and that “there is almost no enforcement.”

There should be, and similar safeguards for donors should be in force in all Orange County cities. As it stands now, information filed with the county is not verified, and donors are vulnerable to those whose drives are less than legitimate.

As Wieder noted, earlier this month the county district attorney’s office issued temporary restraining orders against two allegedly fraudulent solicitors.

Wieder, who had earlier asked the grand jury to investigate charitable operations, has requested that the district attorney review how charity solicitors operate. The results of both investigations could be enlightening.

Also concerned with possible abuses is Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, who has been looking into ways to better distinguish legitimate fund drives from those designed to deceive.

The county should protect people who generously donate to community organizations by strenuously enforcing its existing ordinance. It would be the most charitable thing for the board to do.