Childhelp Inc

They say it’s a one time donation in person, then send an email that it is a monthly donation- unfortunately if you don’t check your spam email accounts you’ll be paying monthly and not knowing.

I was just at Core Life in Murfreesboro, TN 37129. I was approached by one of their Child Help Ambassadors. He was very polite and seemed honest, so I donated 5 backpacks and supplies to fill it for a total of $109.25, he proceeded to ask me to donate a ONE TIME donation of $30 additional dollars to go towards the child help; Helpline, which I did. I then looked at the Email from the organization that they signed me up for a $30 monthly donation! I cannot believe I fell for this SCAM! I know better than to give to random people asking for Donations without first researching it. I was just feeling extra generous today and believed in the cause, but I was reminded why I usually say NO Thank you and keep walking. I've called the number listed on the email @ 480-542-5952. and left a message and sent an email. Hoping for a response but not expecting one.

I thought this was a good nonprofit, but apparently they don't even run any of the residential programs anymore. The staff at HQ is new every few months, and supposedly it's because the executives are more interested in their outsized salaries than keeping kids safe or treating staff humanely.

Heard from two or three sources that the former Chief Program Officer (now Chief Administrative Officer) let a known child abuser stay on staff for two years, and when one girl accused a therapist of exposing himself to her, she and other executives treated the girl like a liar and defended the predator. Then, they wanted to fire the communications executive who stood up for the kids.

If I could give zero stars I would. Shameful for these executives to use abused kids to enrich themselves while defending predators.

Most of the program people seem to care, but the top half dozen leaders (including the cofounders and executive vice president of the board) are basically rotten to the core. There's a reason they have such a bad reputation around town. So greedy. Zero respect for kids. Zero respect for staff. Zero respect for volunteers and donors.

I have been charged for a monthly donation while only signing up for a one time donation. I have emailed and left messages. I hope this is resolved before I take further action. They were in front of maple street bakery and got me to donate.

We were approached by a young woman outside of Eggs and Joe breakfast restaurant in Gilbert, AZ on 7/3/2023.. She stopped us and asked for a donation for a backpack drive for Childhelp. She had a name tag, posters all on a table in front of the restaurant. Everything looked official. My husband gave her $20 cash and she typed in our email into her hand held device and said we will receive a receipt for our donation in a few minutes. Well, an email never arrived and I'm sure she pocketed the $20. Don't donate to this organization. From the looks of the other reviews, they are not very trust worthy. Never again will we trust anyone and give cash.

I visited a DSW shoe store in Austin, Texas. Upon exiting the store, I was approached by a Childhelp organization representative whose nametag read "Rudy A." He educated me on Childhelp's development and purpose. He offered two donation options; a $30 bookbag or a $10 donation which I offered cash but he replied "card only". Minutes later, I received a thank you email for my "monthly donation" however I never heard Rudy mention that this was a re-curring monthly donation nor did I agree to it. Upon returning to the stand, he was no where to be found nor did the DSW employees know of his whereabouts. He finally returned to the stand where I explained to him that I only intended to give a one-time $10 donation, not enroll in a monthly donation to which he advised me to reply to the "thank you" email which I did in addition to calling the number in the email and leaving a voice message for a "Lindsey". I also canceled on their website. Upon reading reviews for this charity, I realized that I am not the only person who this has happened to therefore I filed a formal complaint to the Arizona Attorney General to warn the public as I believe Childhelp representatives might be misleading unsuspecting people by falsely and involuntarily enrolling them into a monthly donation.

This is a follow up from my original post.

After my disappointing experience with this organization, I contacted Childhelp and corresponded with Lindsey Garrison, the Donor Care Manager. She was extremely helpful and very kind. She explained how the experience I had was not at all what it should have been and apologized. I felt like she listened to my concerns and she swiftly cancelled my monthly donation that I did not authorize on my card. I am greatly appreciative of how Lindsey handled my situation. I am encouraged that my experience was not how the donation process is handled typically.

Original post:
Today, I committed to donating a backpack for abused children and was asked if I wanted to donate an additional amount totaling $50 to help out these children even more. I was so glad to help such a worthy cause. When I got home and saw the emails (2) confirming my donation, I noticed that one of the confirms was for the backpack and the other, to my surprise, was for a $30 monthly donation that I had not approved. It was not made clear to me that the additional amount that I approved above the donation for the backpack was for a monthly donation. I was led to believe it was a one time donation. This seems like a very worthwhile charity, but I am feeling deceived.

If you have been deceptively signed up for unauthorized recurring charges by child help please report them to the Arizona Attorney General.

They appear to have knowingly been doing this for years. Please help stop it.

https://consumer-complaint.azag.gov/publiccomplaint/begin.aspx

Unfortunately, I had the same negative experience as many others. I made a one time donation outside a restaurant and they kept charging me. Very deceitful charity. This is so sad. I will be disputing this with my bank. I hope the money they have received, including the stolen money, is truly used to help children. At this point, I doubt their integrity to do what it is they say they do.

If could give them a zero I would, they are scammers they asked for a one-time donation and then keep charging your card monthly!! DO NOT DONATE a penny to these people. I am so beyond disappointed in this world you think you are doing something nice and they end up screwing you! I did report it to m y bank. If I do not receive my money back I will make sure to keep sharing my story so no one else has to be ripped off like I was!

08/20/2019
"Thank you for the difference you make in the world, keep at it I think its beautiful." Clayton H.

02/24/2021
"Thank you for all the good work you do in the community." Angela D.

08/13/2020
"Thank you for all the work you do to help out children in need. I was very happy to have signed up to donate." Jeremy Percy

11/08/2020
"After hearing the story of this organization I was happy to contribute! I think this organization is amazing and absolutely necessary." Sianne S.

10/06/2020
"I sincerely thank you for all that you are doing, this is an incredible organization that I look forward to supporting for years to come as much as I can. Thank you again!" Jessica S.

05/12/2020
"Thanks for the amazing work you're doing." Molli H.

12/19/2018
"I hope this message finds you doing well during this Christmas season. It was a pleasure knowing that I was able to help out children in need and I thank you for giving me that opportunity. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!" Julia E.

01/21/2019
"We appreciate the opportunity to learn about your organization and the great work that you do. We are glad to be a part of it, even if it’s in a very small way." Caroline H.

12/03/2020
"I think it’s amazing what you are doing, and I hope the benefits truly reach those in need. Thank you so much." Matt C.

02/02/2021
"Thanks for all you do! Will still definitely be donating to y’all in the future!" Zack B.

12/18/2020
"Thank you all for all you do! I love Childhelp and hope to be able to donate in the future." Elizabeth W.

12/15/2020
"I'm so grateful I had a little extra to give when I signed up. I hope to be able to sign back up. Thank you for all you do to help!" Brenn C.

02/18/2021
"I really appreciate the opportunity that you've created for individuals to donate and make a difference in so many lives. When I get the opportunity in the future, I'll re-commit to the monthly donation. Again, thank you for all of your hard work toward improving the lives of many and making it so easy for others to assist you in your work."
Alexandra N.

02/03/2021
"I was blessed to be given the opportunity to give to your program that enriches the quality of youths’ lives."
Evan S.

01/11/2021
"Thank you so much for the opportunity to donate to Childhelp. I hope to do more to give back in the future."
Ali L

DO NOT GIVE THEM CREDIT CARD NUMBER!!! I made a one time donation of $21 in October and have been charged a monthly donation that was unauthorized. I tried to call them about it and ended up having to cancel my card as there has been no response and lots of unauthorized charges from them.

Would love to give zero stars. This company is a scam. I was approached in front of a store. I usually don't get suckered into this kind of stuff, but for some reason I listened to this lady.
She explained to me what they do want what different options of donations they have. I decided to donate 10$. of course I didn't have cash on me. I gave her my card and she entered all my information. I was told to watch out for an email, because I could set up a monthly donation if I wanted to. and the email will also have my receipt. I went into the store and did my shopping, not feeling right about the whole situation. Once I got back in my car I checked my email, nothing. I checked it again at home, nothing...so I started to research this so company. .found many many many bad reviews on how they set up autopay on your account. I was told it was a ONE time donation and I can set up a monthly donation myself once I receive the email . NEVER got that email. I decided to cancel my card just incase they did set up auto pay. this happened a few days ago. today I am on my bank and I am trying to set up all my auto pays with my new card.....and guess what I see.... AUTO PAY SET UP FOR CHILD HELP.....what a scam....it was very stupid on my end to pay with card, but come on its 2020, I pay with card every where I go. but I learned my lesson. just glad I cancelled my card before this crocked company takes more money from me.

The work and impact that Childhelp has on the lives of children across the nation is to be highly commended! They are the only charity that I know of that can honestly claim to have the founders of 56 years still going strong and determined as the day they began their work. The true compassion and love that this charity expels is beyond what many can comprehend. They have the highest level of standards when it comes to the care and comfort of the children and families they help. I have only wonderful things to say about this organization, and I thank God that the founders didn't let the negative thoughts of a few change the outcome for what they knew they had to do to keep kids safe.