Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs Settles with Cancer Fund of America, Inc.

April 12, 2007

Joe Doyle, Administrator of the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs, announced today that Georgia has entered into a settlement with Cancer Fund of America, Inc. (CFA) over allegations that the charitable organization misrepresented its services and disseminated deceptive and misleading solicitations to Georgia consumers.

Cancer Fund of America purports to raise money to aid cancer patients directly, unlike other cancer charities, whose funds are used to further cancer research.  This is the second time that the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs has investigated CFA concerning alleged misrepresentations.  This latest investigation revealed that CFA’s direct mail solicitations contained false and misleading claims, including assertions that it provided cancer patients with transportation to chemotherapy treatments and supplied medication to patients.  Other allegations against CFA are that it misrepresented the number of cancer patients for whom it provided services and made false statements concerning how much of its proceeds went towards fundraising efforts. 

As part of the settlement, CFA has agreed to eliminate any false or misleading statements from its web site and from future direct mail solicitations.  In addition, CFA is required to pay $50,000 for the benefit of the Georgia Cancer Coalition, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and treatment in Georgia.  The money will be used expressly to benefit cancer patients.

Tips on giving to charities

While most charitable organizations are legitimate, the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs offers the following guidelines to help protect consumers from making donations to disreputable charities:

• Don’t be fooled by an impressive-sounding name.  Many organizations intentionally use names similar to well-known, reputable charities.  Know who you’re donating to. 

• Be suspicious of emotional appeals or organizations that try to pressure you into making an immediate donation.

• Beware of charities that offer to send a courier to pick up your donation.

• Never pay in cash.  Instead, pay by check, and be sure to make your check out to the organization, not to an individual. 

• Remember that you are not required to make a charitable contribution in order to enter a sweepstakes, nor does making a donation enhance your chances of winning. 

• Be wary of solicitations on behalf of policemen or firefighters.  Before donating, call your local police or fire department to verify that they have authorized the solicitation. 

• Before donating to a charity, look them up on the BBB Wise Giving Alliance web site which provides evaluations of hundreds of charities that solicit nationally or internationally. 

• Charitable organizations are required by Georgia law to register annually with the Secretary of State, unless otherwise exempt.  A full disclosure of the charitable program, along with a financial statement, can be found on the Secretary of State’s web site.

For additional information, please contact Bill Cloud, Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs, at 404-656-3790.