Charity may begin at home, but that doesn't stop out-of-state organizations from calling and soliciting donations. Charities often reach out and touch contributors for donations over the telephone; donors should be aware of who they're giving money to.

Recently the statewide Fraternal Order of Police has called some residents asking for donations of $35 to $45 to help families of police officers killed in the line of duty. This is not the local order, which solicits money by letter and not by telephone. Both organizations have the same goal of supporting police officers on the job and of helping the families of fallen officers.

According to Shirley Hutinger, the administrative assistant for the statewide Fraternal Order of Police in Jefferson City, that office solicits by a contract with the national Fraternal Order of Police and the calls are made from New Jersey.

Hutinger said that 80 percent of the funds the state organization receives go toward helping families of fallen police officers. Twenty percent goes toward administration fees and salaries, and some of the money goes toward scholarship programs at the national level, she said.

Cape Girardeau police officer Curtis Session, who heads up the local Fraternal Order of Police, said that the only expenses his office has are for the stationery and postage when it mails out solicitation letters.

"I would say 99.9 percent goes back to the people," Session said.

The same is true of the Guardians, a Cape-based support organization for the families of police officers and fire fighters, said Bob Neff, president of the board. The Guardians do no telephone solicitation. Once it raised its initial $100,000 through charter members pledging $1,000, it now solicits annual memberships from individuals, families and businesses, starting at $150. It also accepts contributions from fund raisers other organizations hold on the Guardians' behalf.

"Virtually all of it goes toward providing the benefits as they are needed," Neff said.

The Guardians provide assistance for not only police officers in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and of Southeast Missouri State University, but it also helps with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, and the fire departments of Cape Girardeau and Jackson, along with the volunteer fire departments within the county, Neff said.

Donors want to be generous if they believe in a cause, such as firefighters and police officers. They need to know as much as possible about where their contributions are going and how they're being used.

According to the American Institute of Philanthropy of Bethesda, Md., tax exempt organizations are the fastest-growing sector in the U.S. economy with about 30,000 new charities created each year. More than 1.2 million nonprofit organizations compete for available funds each year.

The AIP recommends that anyone who wants to contribute to a charity learn how much of the money it collects goes toward administrative expenses and what percentage actually goes toward the program services. AIP's Charity Rating Guide recommends in most cases that 60 percent or more go toward program services. Less than 40 percent should be spent on general administration and fund-raising costs. The Galt Global Review maintains that administrative costs should be no more than 25 percent of the organization's annual spending.

The AIP cautions against donating to charities which identify as "public education" large portions of their direct mail and telemarketing expenses. This often disguises high fund-raising costs.

Information about a charity's expenses are usually included in its annual report. Honest charities encourage donor interest and will provide that information. The report should also list the board of directors and a mission statement. In addition, nearly all non-church charities with more than $25,000 per year in income must file a 990 financial form annually with the IRS, which are available through a written request to the IRS. Under federal law, charities are required to make copies of their 990 forms available for the past three years upon request. Getting it from the charity office may be faster than getting it from the IRS.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160