MADD Downgraded to D on charity Rating Guide

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Mothers Against Drunk Driving downgraded to a ‘D’ by charity rating guide
Submitted by Scott Pickey on Mon, 07/26/2010 - 1:36pm.READ MORE:


WASHINGTON – The American Institute of Philanthropy’s (AIP) Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report has downgraded Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to a “D” rating on a A-F scale in its August 2010 report.

“Under the leadership of CEO Chuck Hurley, MADD further diminished its focus on victim services and educating Americans about the dangers of drunk driving, instead pushing anti-drinking, anti-alcohol public policies,” said American Beverage Institute (ABI) Managing Director Sarah Longwell. “The public needs to realize that MADD isn’t the same group it was 20 years ago.”

MADD has consistently received low ratings from the Charity Rating Guide due to its poor fundraising and spending practices.

According to the AIP, it should cost most charities $35 or less to raise $100. In some years, MADD has spent nearly double that amount. The AIP also says most highly efficient charities are able to spend 75 percent or more of total expenses on charitable programs. In some years, MADD has spent as little as 57 percent on programs. In 2008, MADD spent almost $30 million on salaries and fundraising, leaving just 1/3 of its budget available for charitable work and victim services.

Another charitable giving guide, Charity Navigator, gives MADD an overall rating of 1 out of 4 stars. Charity Navigator reserves this embarrassing basement-level for a charity that “fails to meet industry standards.”

During Hurley’s tenure at MADD, the organization’s revenue declined while Hurley and other officers and directors saw their salaries increase - a whopping 56 percent. In contrast, MADD’s revenue declined nearly one-quarter over the same period. And MADD’s spending on community programs—what a charity should be about—dropped by 17 percent. In 2009, MADD had to lay off 50 employees nationwide—15 percent of its workforce—a move that cut much of the organization’s victim advocacy work.

These financial changes reveal a shift in MADD’s mission. In the words of its own founder Candy Lightner: MADD “has become far more neo-prohibitionist than I had ever wanted or envisioned … I didn't start MADD to deal with alcohol. I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving.”

Longwell continued: “MADD’s anti-alcohol agenda includes advocating for alcohol detectors in all cars, sobriety checkpoints and sky-high alcohol taxes. By spending on these new priorities, MADD has diverted money from programs created to help the victims of drunk driving and get dangerous drunk drivers off the roads.”

INFORMATION FROM A NEWS RELEASE SENT TO THE WWAY NEWSCHANNEL 3 NEWSROOM... AS OF RIGHT NOW, MADD HAS NO REPRESENTATIVE IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY. THE BRUNSWICK COUNTY REPRESENTATIVE ALSO WORKS FOR A LOCAL NEWSPAPER, WHICH PROHIBITS HER FROM TALKING TO OTHER MEDIA ABOUT ISSUES REGARDING DWI AND DRUNK DRIVING.

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[Show Me Your Papers]

Gimme an "F" !!

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MADD Funding Methods Criticized

July 26, 2010

By Susan Gager



WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The non-profit Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is being challenged over its fund-raising efforts.



A company that rates organizations like MADD is giving it a grade of D. The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) gave MADD the rating on an A to F scale. That rating system is based upon the proportion of funding to spending.



Now the American Beverage Institute (ABI) says MADD spends a lot more money on fundraising and not enough money on victims' services. ABI criticizes the organization, saying MADD targets social drinkers and punishes all Americans who choose to drink. They say that target is much different than their focus back when the organization started in the 1980s.



"Ten to fifteen years ago, Mothers Against Drunk Driving really did shift their focus away from hardcore drunk drivers and targeting them, getting them off the road and policies that did that and going after social drinking of all kinds. They need to shift back, go back to basics," said ABI Managing Director Sarah Longwell.



The AIP says while most charities spend $35 to to raise $100. MADD has spent nearly double that amount. It also says in recent years they have spent $30 million on salaries, leaving just one third of its budget for victim services.



MADD told KEZI, "Our focus on drunk driving, underage drinking and victim services is stronger than ever." They also say they invest three-quarters of their funding on programs to saving lives.

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