National Association Of Police Athletic/activities League: Law Enforcement Partnering To Empower Youth
The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The organization began as a service program providing mentorship and outreach activities to youth as a way to combat juvenile crime. Years later, as the success of the program and its activities grew, six chapters on the east coast decided to convene and discuss how athletics could be incorporated into the organizations programs.
Their impact and transparency ratings: The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League has an Accountability and Transparency score of 92 out of 100 from Charity Navigator. The organization also has a Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.
To promote the prevention of juvenile crime and violence by building relationships among kids, cops and community through positive engagement.
National Association of Police Athletics/Activities League
What they do: The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League aims to minimize juvenile crime through outreach programs that pair officers with youth. The charitys programs focus primarily on education, mentorship, and athletic activities that empower youth. Today, the organization has over 300 chapters across the country working to create positive change in local communities.
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Phone Calls Asking You To Donate
Many charities that help first responders like police officers and firefighters veterans, and active duty military, or their families, pay fundraisers to call donors or potential donors.
Fundraising calls are allowed even if your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. If you want fundraisers to stop calling, ask them to put you on the charitys do not call list. When a charitys fundraiser calls to ask you for a donation, they have to follow some rules:
- They can only call during specific times. They can’t call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
- They have to disclose their name and purpose. They have to tell you the name of the charity, and tell you if the reason theyre calling is to seek a donation.
- They cant deceive you or lie about:
- The fundraisers connection to the charity.
- The mission or purpose of the charity.
- Whether a donation is tax deductible.
- How a donation will be used, or how much of the donation actually goes to the charitys programs.
- The charitys affiliation with the government.
Q: What Kinds Of Activities Does National Police Support Fund Engage In
A: We engage in activities aimed at supporting our law enforcement officers and standing up for their rights and values throughout the political process. This includes marketing and outreach to supporters and communities, grassroots political efforts, and digital marketing efforts. We use the funds raised from these activities to support elected officials, candidates, and organizations whose goals and values align with our own.
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Social Media And Crowdfunding Posts Asking You To Donate
Especially after a tragedy or military-related event, fundraisers and causes show up on social media and people create crowdfunding campaigns to help those affected. The safest way to donate on social media or crowdfunding campaign is to give to people you actually know. Here are a few ideas to help you give safely:
- Dont assume the request is legitimate because a friend posted it. Pay attention to who first posted the request on social media. Contact your friend privately or offline to ask them about the post they shared.
- Check where the link to donate goes. Does it go to a crowdfunding campaign for an individual or to a charity? If the money is going to an individual campaign organizer, are you sure that person will pass the money on to the cause you want to support? Confirm with whoever posted the link that they know the person behind the fundraising. If the money goes to a charity, do your research on the charity. Just because a friend recommended it doesnt guarantee that the charity will spend your money wisely.
- Keep in mind that your donation must be to a charity to be tax deductible. If its important to you that the donation is tax deductible, confirm that the organization is registered with the IRS as a charity. Look up the organization in the IRSs Tax Exempt Organization Search tool. Donations to individuals and PACs are not tax deductible.
Breaking Down The Hustle
Con artists refer to what they do as a hustle. A hustle is like the 70s disco dance. Its made up of series of regular steps timed to the beat of the music that can be improvised as needed. Charity hustles work the same way. They improvise and evolve to stay one step ahead of unsuspecting donors.
One very common hustle is the name game. For example, a very well known and respected group is the Make a Wish Foundation. This organization spends the vast majority of its donations on children. Kids Wish Network, however, spends only 3 cents of every dollar collected on kids. But their website and solicitations are designed to look and sound like Make a Wish. In fact, they count on the confusion to gather contributions.
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Get Times Of San Diego Daily By Email
The Committee for Police Officers Defense, the telemarketers who called me, applied for tax exemption in California. The application also included the name Police Officers Defense Coalition, as well as the Police Officers Defense Alliance. The latter is the name of the PAC I found earlier that had raised $3.2 million in contributions.
Virginia incorporation papers show James Fotis is president of the Alliance and changed the name to the Defense Coalition. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis.
Also worth noting is that while his organization is based in Virginia, and gets its mail in Stafford, TX, Fotis lives in Lake Worth, FL. The websites describe his career in law enforcement and his role as the creator of the police officers safety act legislation carried by former San Diego Congressman Randy Duke Cunningham.
One of Fotis websites solicits money for individuals who were guilty of a crime for doing their job the way they were trained to do it. As an example, he cites former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. President Trump pardoned the sheriff even after the Department of Justice described Arpaio as being responsible for the worst case of racial profiling in U.S. history.
The website soliciting funds for Arpaio says, Liberals have targeted Sheriff Joe Arpaio with a multi-million dollar lawsuit because he was upholding the law of the land.
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United States Deputy Sheriffs Association
If a charity is forced to move its headquarters to a new state on account of the dodgy dealings and underhand practices its been getting up to in its old home, anyone with any sense should know to keep well away, Unfortunately, the United States Deputy Sheriffs Association is well versed enough in manipulation to convince even the most well-meaning of folk that its still a cause worthy of their support. In two words, its not. Unless you want your money to go toward lawsuits , take my advice and find another charity to support although preferably one on another list to this one.
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Npa Launches National Effort To Show Appreciation To Local Law Enforcement
Its been a tough couple years for local law enforcement. Groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter have inspired people to assassinate cops on the street. Soft on Crime groups are targeting record numbers of individual law enforcement officers in law suits for police brutality. And cops are facing increasing disrespect on the streets as criminals have become emboldened by the wave of anti-cop rhetoric in the news media and by many politicians.
On its donate page, the NPA boasts of its work to preserve the American way of life and fight back against cop-haters.
In fact, as Ive previously , supporting law enforcement and supporting reform movements such as Black Lives Matter are not mutually exclusive. Promoting divisive rhetoric is detrimental to the public safety mission that requires any genuine law enforcement organization to be accountable to its constituents.
Other policies that the NPA promotes include aggressive stop-and-frisk tactics and broken windows policingstrategies that have resulted in unconstitutional practices that undermine civil liberties.
The NPAs immigration proposalAuthorizing local law enforcement officers to perform federal immigration law enforcement functionsis based on fear-mongering and a clear recipe for abuse and division. This policy has been repudiated by a significant number of law enforcement leaders, whose experience has led them to conclude that it would make their communities unsafe.
Surveys as Propaganda
A Sliver For Families
The International Union of Police Associations and its related organizations go by more than a dozen different names, including the Police Officers Support Association and the National Emergency Responders Coalition. But the groups file financial disclosures with federal regulators under only a handful of names.
Up until the latest tax year when the groups appear to have changed how they categorize certain expenditures the pattern was largely the same from year to year: A small number of families received a couple thousand dollars apiece top employees of the union received more than $100,000 apiece and tens of millions went to telemarketers.
For example, in the tax year that ended March 2018, the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund gave 11 families an average of $6,545 apiece. That is equivalent to 2.7 percent of the $2.7 million the organization raised from donors that year, according to its federal tax return.
Most of the money raised went to telemarketing 87 percent and other expenses.
That same tax year, the International Union of Police Associations gave 10 students pursuing advanced degrees in law enforcement an average of $2,500 apiece.
About $1.8 million went toward the salaries of union officials, including $199,700 for Cabral, the president. Three other IUPA executives earned more than $100,000 apiece during fiscal 2017-2018.
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How To Protect Yourself Against Scam Pacs
Some telemarketers who claim to be raising money for causes like homeless veterans and cancer victims work for political action committees , not charities, and keep much of the money they raise. Some tips for consumers:
⢠Listen carefully for the name of the organization. Legitimate charities can be checked on websites such as www.guidestar.org.⢠Ask if the donation is tax-deductible. Gifts to actual charities are donations to PACs, which sometimes sound like charities, are not.⢠Never disclose personal information.⢠Or follow the simplest rule: âNever give to anyone over the phone,â said Margot Saunders, senior counsel for the National Consumer Law Center.
Joseph Tanfani
If the potential donors suspected they had given to the group before, the callers were instructed to say: âI have no way of knowing because we feel that donations are given from the heart, not the hand, so we keep all donation records confidential,â according to the FAQ.
ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. It spent $103,700 on behalf of House candidates â about 3% of the total, and it has contributed nothing directly to veterans groups.
Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment.
Across the industry, calls are computer-generated before being routed to telemarketers, something Politicause and TPFE employees said allowed their firms to maximize the number of calls â and to pester people repeatedly.
Q: What Is A 527 Political Organization
A: A 527 political organization is a party committee, association, fund, or other organization organized and operated primarily for the purpose of directly or indirectly accepting contributions or making expenditures for an exempt function.
In the case of National Police Support Fund, we accept contributions and make expenditures in order to influence the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of candidates to federal, state, and local offices.
For more information, please refer to the IRS definition of Political Organization.
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How To Report A Scammer
During the pandemic, a plethora of fraudulent websites came out like a plague. How to report a scammer? Whether the website is from the same sector as nationalpolicesupportfund.com or not, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Write the names of the shady businesses in the comments section below, too.
National Police And Troopers Association
A special program within the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO.Speaking With One Voice, Moving With One Purpose.
The I.U.P.A. proudly complies with state regulations and required disclosures. If you require additional information, then call us 1-800-247-4872 or email us at:
Your contribution is very much appreciated and although the International Union of Police Association is recognized as a non-profit by the IRS, due to its particular status 5), donations are not tax deductible pursuant to IRC §170(c.
A copy of our latest financial report may be obtained by writing to: The International Union of Police Associations, 5632 Bee Ridge Road, Suite 200 Sarasota, FL .
The International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO was formed in 1979 to collectively represent those in law enforcement that are active or retired law enforcement officers to fight to improve, protect, and remember the lives of officers and their families in law enforcement the organization also works to improve legislation that protects and affects public safety officers, as well as representing the needs of law enforcement officers and support personnel, whether that be for better equipment, more staff or a fair wage.
Registration with any of these state agencies does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by any state.
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American Association Of State Troopers
American Association of State Troopers claims to support retired state troopers. As Smarter Giving notes, what is actually supports is the bank balances of its chief executives. IRS reports show that in 2011 alone, executive director Ken Howles drew an $87000 salary of the little money left over, only around 9-14% made its way into the hands of the troopers.
The 50 Worst Charities In America
In the wake of tragedies large and small, they pop up like mushrooms after a rain. With tales of woe and heartbreaking images of children or helpless animals, they beg for assistance. They are the tragi-charities. One hit wonders seeking to cash in on the tragedy of the day from floods and fires to missing children and more.
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The pop-up charity business is usually local, occasionally regional and rarely national. Mostly they are the products of individual scammers who smell an opportunity to cash in using the name of a victim who may or may not even be real. They count on local press coverage and a quick website. These charities usually rake in a few thousand dollars and disappear.
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Police Unity Tour: Raising Public Awareness For Law Enforcements Work
The Police Unity Tour was founded in 1997 by Patrick Montuore, a police officer from New Jersey. He organized the Police Unity Tour as a fundraising event to honor members of law enforcement who had lost their lives in the line of service. He also wanted to highlight law enforcements hard work across the country. The tour began with 18 members of law enforcement, who rode from New Jersey to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Their impact and transparency ratings: The Police Unity Tour holds a Financial rating of 84 out of 100 from Charity Navigator. For example, in 2019, nearly 90% of the organizations income was spent on its programming.
To raise awareness of Law Enforcement Officers who have died in the line of duty.
Police Unity Tour
What they do: ThePolice Unity Tour raises funds and awareness for members of law enforcement who lost their lives during their service. The funds raised during their 4-day long ride are donated directly to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. The organization also participates in advocacy work to emphasize some of the dangers law enforcement officers face, and the sacrifices they make to protect society.
Ways to contribute: You can contribute to the Police Unity Tour by donating through their website.
The Irs Is Not The Answer
When a solicitor for one of these groups calls a prospective donor the pitch will include the truthful statement that they are a nonprofit organization. Nonprofit however does not mean they are a charity. It only means they do not seek to make a profit on their activities. A profit according to Investopedia.com is revenue that exceeds expenses. The IRS has pretty broad rules for being a nonprofit organization. A charity is only one type of nonprofit.
Trade groups like those that represent the fast food or soft drink producers operate as nonprofits. Political organizations including both the Democratic and Republican parties are nonprofits. Lots of different special interest groups are nonprofits, including some private businesses that pay their executives quite well.
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