GreatNonprofits.org Blog

San Francisco Fights Panhandling with Puppies

Leave a Comment June 15, 2012

Trading homeless puppies for panhandling in San Francisco

San Francisco is bringing new meaning to the phrase “begging for a puppy.” In fact, the city is hoping that its panhandling population will trade one for the other. The city has long battled its panhandling problem with everything from outlawing sitting on the sidewalk to local employment programs with not much luck. Now that already overpopulated  local animal shelters are seeing a huge influx in surrendered dogs due to the economic downturn, a new program pairing problem pups with certain panhandlers might be part of the solution. (more…)

Disabled Veterans National Foundation Investigation Sparked by Anderson Cooper

Comment (1) June 1, 2012

photo: brittanylynae on Flickr

Following  an incendiary CNN Anderson Cooper 360 report accusing the charity Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF) of misusing millions of dollars, a Senate Finance Committee  investigation has been launched to take a closer look at the nonprofit’s financials.

Well before this scandal however, starting in 2009, GreatNonprofits members were already negatively reviewing the veterans’ charity, giving it the lowest rating of only one star. Reviewers cited concerns about how donations were spent and the many useless “gifts” received via direct mail through “guilt-based” marketing. (more…)