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OPERATION LOOKOUT NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING YOUTH
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September 11, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
The organization never even picks up their own hotline calls. They leave that up to their answering service to decide whether a call is important enough to even take a message. But they're in good company. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, with a $48 million annual budget, is only open 9-5 weekdays. It would seem that when one is operating an organization that deals with potentially life-threatening situations, that there would be a trained staff member to answer the phone 24/7. So, let me get this straight. The charity gets millions of dollars in contributions, and then hires a $10 a month answering services to run their hotline.
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How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?
Badly
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
None
Will you recommend this organization to others?
No
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
August 12, 2012
The organization uses telemarketers to raise most of its funds. According to their latest 990 IRS filing, only 12.5¢ of every dollar actually finds its way to the charity. The other 87.5¢ goes to the fundraiser. So, from the $1,312,055 raised in 2010, only $1,148,106 went to the charity. Of the 163,949 that went to them, $79.608 of it went towards salaries and payroll taxes, leaving $84,341. The problem is that none of the salaried staff members ever answer either their hotline or their office phone. That is left to an answering service to determine whether or not a call is important enough to leave a message. The simple posing of a missing child on their overly verbose website can take days and days. Meanwhile, on their website and to their potential donors they brag about how they are"an award winning, multifaceted, and fully computerized international child-search assistance center serving families with investigative casework for any geography of origin" and how they are a founding and charter member of AMECO (another "winner" in the missing children arena) and on and on and on. They state that they "provide are as described by Congress in Title IV - Missing Children - of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended or approved and recognized by Royal Canadian Mounted Police," and all that comes to my mind at this point is Dudley Doright, and I'm wondering, if Nell had called Dudley's answering service, would he have gotten there in time to rescue her from the train?
More feedback...
How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?
Badly
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
None
Will you recommend this organization to others?
No
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
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The generous 'Gift-In-kind' donation provided month by month for many years by Kelleys Answering Services is deeply appreciated and highly valued by OPERATION LOOKOUT. This service has been provided by the medical answering service division, 24/7 since the early 90's as their way of helping. When a client or citizen dials 1-800-LOOKOUT (566-5688), 1-800-782-SEEK (7335), or 425-771-SEEK (7335), the call is professionally answered, "OPERATION LOOKOUT, What is the nature of your emergency?" The response aids the operator to triage the call for patch-through to the on-call case manager, to put it through to the office back line dedicated for urgent situations, or to delay it for the next available person...It would bring this service great displeasure to learn they missed an important life-saving call. If you or anyone you know has been placed on a long HOLD or not responded to in a timely manner, please notify us at oladmin@operationlookout.org.