American Diabetes Association Inc

My grandson who has type I diabetes has gone to the ADA camp two years in a row. The camp is excellent but the camper does pay a high price for 5 days of camping. So at the price you pay he had better have a great experience.

The American Diabetes Association provides a residential camp experience for children and teens with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, promoting diabetes management independence through education and hands on learning. In the St. Louis market, the ADA has provided camp since 1954. Thousands of children have learned how to give their first insulin injection, do a pump site change and count carbohydrates, increasing in management confidence. This type of life changing knowledge opens doors for engagement in independent activities that might otherwise be impossible, such as spending the night at a grandparent's or friend's house. Parents, each year, report that camp literally changes the lives of their children. This service is only provided by the American Diabetes Association through the generous support of our donors.

I have been a donor for ADA for last several years. After analyzing the financial data and observing the wasteful use of my hard earned money on fund raising and administrative waste I have decided not to contribute any more. It is criminal that only $33 Million is spend on research out of $159.855 million that was donated. The executives like Larry Hausner (CEO) does not deserve $545,950 in salary. I have found better charities like JDRF to put my hard earned money to proper use.

I looked up the addresses for every Director of the Board for ADA (there were over 25 of them!). I mailed each a 2-page letter expressing disappointment as a parent of a diabetic that they squandered such valuable donations by letting telemarketers keep over 3/4 of donations. I asked for a response on this corporate bungle. That was 7 weeks ago. How many replies did I get? Zero (no: one did came back — “addressee unknown” — from UCSD). I can only take it as arrogance that none saw fit to reply to a diabetes stakeholder. ADA directs only 4% of donations from fundraising events for cure research, though they use the CURE as the hook to raise 89% of donations (not even counting the telemarketers' cut). ADA seems a massive imposter. Children and adults continue to suffer and die waiting for a cure, while ADA lets fundraisers pocket absurd percentages of money entrusted to them by donors who want it spent on badly needed research. Shame on them.

September 2012 article in Bloomberg & NPR found much of the donations going to a telemarketer, InfoCision. This charity will not get my money.

So far as I can tell, most of the money I donate to the ADA gets spent on asking me for even more donations. I went looking for a better alternative and found the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation, which Charity Navigator gives a four-star rating as contrasted with a one-star (currently) for the ADA. My sister died of complications associated with diabetes, so I really want to make sure my money is put to good use.

Last year when we received a packet claiming that my 85 year old husband had agreed to write letters for ADA's Community Campaign, I sent it back with a letter explaining that he had not volunteered and requesting that they take us off their list. This year we received another packet! We refused delivery. My husband is now getting letters reminding him of his (non-existent) promise. I will try writing them once more but do not intend to contribute again, There are many other charities that do not rely on these tactics and pay attention to donor requests. BTW, my husband has Parkinson's and can barely write; I have severe arthritis in my hands.

The mismanagement of this organization is dreadful. Local Directors seem to rule with an erratic, iron first. Favoritism is rampant and mission- and revenue-driven results appear to have little impact on decision making. It's sad and would be embarrassing for the organization, if more people knew.