Update, Sept. 12, 2013: This story updates information about Civic Development Group. Errol Copilevitz started his legal career representing strip clubs and porn shops on the seedy side of Kansas City. Then he took free-speech arguments honed defending topless bars to a more lucrative field. Philanthropy. Today, Copilevitz is the undisputed king of the charity […]
Kris Hundley
Kris Hundley joined the Tampa Bay Times 17 years ago as a business reporter. She is now a member of the Times’ investigative team.
Posted inUncategorized
Florida’s top charity regulator considers reforms
Florida’s top charity regulator says he will push for sweeping reforms to crack down on charities that spend most of their money on professional solicitors instead of people in need.
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Ex-employees of Kids Wish Network say they misled donors
Former employees of Kids Wish Network say the Holiday, Fla.-based charity exploits sick and dying children to raise cash, then misleads donors about where their money goes.
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‘Breaking Bad’ helped bad charity
In a match made in Hollywood, one of America’s most popular TV shows had been directing viewers to contribute to one of America’s worst charities.
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Florida senator working to tighten oversight of charities
A Florida state senator has announced that he is drafting legislation to crack down on wasteful charities following a yearlong investigation by the Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting.
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Charity Investigator: Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project, created in 2003, has become one of the fastest-growing veterans’ charities in the country. When the Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting asked readers in June to suggest charities to investigate, it was one of the most requested.
Posted inAmerica's Worst Charities, Criminal Justice
In wake of report, charities come under increased scrutiny
America’s worst charities have come under renewed scrutiny following a series by the Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting that ranked organizations based on how much they spent on professional solicitation companies over the past decade. A leading watchdog group is reviewing its ratings of charities on the Times/CIR list, regulators in […]
Posted inAmerica's Worst Charities, Health Care
Part 3: How one family turned your goodwill into their livelihood
Carol Smith still gets angry when she remembers the box that arrived by mail for her dying husband. Cancer Fund of America sent it when he was diagnosed with lung cancer six years ago. Smith had called the charity for help. “It was filled with paper plates, cups, napkins and kids’ toys,” the 67-year-old Knoxville, […]
Posted inAmerica's Worst Charities, Health Care
Part 2: A failure of regulation
Four years ago, charity regulators in 38 states banded together to take down one of the most deceptive charity solicitors in America. In an unusual show of force, they marshaled resources from across the country and targeted Community Support Inc. An investigator in Iowa posed as a donor and secretly recorded calls coming from boiler […]
Posted inHealth Care
How we identified the nation’s worst charities
The United States is home to roughly 1.6 million tax-exempt organizations. That’s far too many to examine closely. So the Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting used data collected by the nonprofit charity tracker GuideStar USA to narrow the pool to the 5,800 charities nationwide that report paying professional solicitation companies to […]