Cancer Fund of America, Inc.

These people have just been accused by the FTC for fraud. Here's part of the story from CNN:

"In a rare joint action with attorneys general for each of the 50 states, the Federal Trade Commission says four cancer charities run by extended members of the same family conned donors out of $187 million from 2008 through 2012 and spent almost nothing to help actual cancer patients.

The Cancer Fund of America is run by James Reynolds Sr. His son James Reynolds Jr. is the CEO of the Breast Cancer Society. Another charity, the Children's Cancer Fund of America, is run by Rose Perkins, the ex-wife of the elder James Reynolds. He's also the CEO of the fourth charity, Cancer Support Services.

The government says the charities claimed to provide direct support for cancer patients, breast cancer patients and children with cancer. 'These were lies,' the government's complaint says. Jessica Rich, chief of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, says that in all, the charities spent about 97% of donations they received either on private fundraisers or on themselves. Only 3%, she says, went to help actual cancer patients."-----CNN

We are harassed by this company as well. No other charity would call as much as they do! That's what prompted me to check out this "charity" online. I agreed to the $20 minimum, but will send the invoice back with a note saying I'm not interested! BTW, they kept asking for my husband - finally I said what do you want? They then started the barrage of "feel sorry for these people" story line. Be aware of this company! I'd say they are a SCAM!

This organization is a complete SCAM. They called me, and when asked they said that only 5% of what I donate would go to the cause. The rest goes to fundraising overhead.

So if I donated $10, only 50 cents would go to the cause.

This is immoral. I cannot believe I donate so much time and work so hard for our non-profit which runs on a shoestring and does such great work when these seamsters are taking so much money home.

This is so wrong.

http://www.tampabay.com/americas-worst-charities/charities/cancer-fund-of-america

This company was listed as one of the worst "charities" in the country and was highlighted on CNN as such. If you donate to this company, you're merely donating to the Reynolds family personal fund (and helped buy them a vacation house on the lake).

These people give barely anything to the cause and keep the majority of money for their greedy selves. They are scumbags, garbage, trash, wastes of life, and going to hell. How do they possibly feel good about themselves? How are they not ashamed of themselves? They Deserve the death penalty or at least should be put in jail.

I work for a non-profit in AZ. I was shocked to see this scam in my state. It is despicable to use Cancer and its Victims to rip people off. Sinful for sure. In curiosity I went to their website. It looks cheesy- very unprofessional and notice the "Donate now" buttons and animation all over the website- another clue- look at the lack of info given about the board members and CEO- also very unprofessional. If it looks like a duck.... this should be a federal crime and the CEO and all involved from staff to board members should be heavily fined and the $ returned to donors.

Just exposed on Anderson Cooper and the Tampa tribune.

Do a search on line of "cancer fund of America". You will find multiple news articles regarding this organization. It is a scam designed to support the Reynolds family (CEO and other officers). Charity Navigator says this is a good organization. Conclusion: Don't trust Charity Navigator.

I kept receiving calls from this organization. When I talked to the person on the other side of the line, he told me that since I have been supporting them for all these years, could he send another pledge for $100? I said if you can prove to me that I donated you any year, I will gladly write you a check ror $100. Then he verified my address and passed me over to another lady to verify how I am paying them. Their deceptive practices are really bad.

My elderly mother donated $10 to this organization. Then they billed her for $40. She's tried to reach them numerous times and no one answers the phone. What they're doing is tragic and quite possibly illegal. I would steer clear of them.

You are right ! This group is a JOKE!! My wife is a stage 3 breast cancer survivor and is pissed because they keep waking us up in the morning!! The moron who commented after your post prob works for the non-profit! 85% of their reviews make them sound like a pump-&-dump ripoff that is taking other peoples hard erned $$!

I referred a friend to this organization she sent in the required paperwork in June and she received nothing.So she called them in August she was told that they suspended service of sending care packages until November. She called again in November as instructed and again was told that services were again suspended until sometime next year. How is the head of this charity justifying getting 6 figure income if people in need are getting nothing. What is being done with all the carnation drinks people have been donating as well as other items if they aren't going to those in need.

These people keep on calling me, even late in the afternoon. No one picks up when I do, no one leaves a message. And when I call back- I get a busy number. Stop harassing me. If I wanted to support an organization, I will get in contact with you. Stop calling me!

RUDE!! AGGRESSIVE!! Organizations should not cold call people at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Person on phone talked over me and wouldn't listen. I want off their list but the person just wanted to call back. I would never give this group a penny. I am sure the cancer patients (of course who can refuse that situation) get zero or near that from this scammer organization. If I didn't have a security system, I'd never have a land line and I'd change my phone number every year to avoid these annoying telemarketers.

I just got a message from someone who said they were from "Cancer Support Services". They get money from people and they ship free supplies to cancer patients at 60 different hospices. That's what she said. But much of what she said didn't make sense and when I looked up the phone number, 313-203-8198, I found this listing for Cancer Fund of America, Inc. In looking at the other reviews, it seems pretty clear to me the ones that are positive about the organization are fake. My advice is to steer clear of this organization, or check into the details before you trust they are going to do what they say. They have a large operation and I doubt a large percentage of the money they collect is ever sent to patients. Even if it is, I fear they are also charging medicare and double-dipping. Check them out before donating. There are other, more transparent charities.

they are wonderful. they have really helped with some of our medical needs that are not covered. Like pull ups, nutritional drinks, and monthly needs like shampoo, etc....my husband has colon cancer.

I am an oncology nurse and I receive multiple annoyance calls soliciting money for this organization which telemarkers report is "Cancer Fund", "Cancer Society", "Children's Cancer Fund", "Cancer Fund of America". Recently the caller ID displayed ACS with the number 313-203-8198 - a bogus attempt to misrepresent this organization under the guise of the credible American Cancer Society (ACS). Shameful marketing practices.

Person calling could not tell me how they got my number, and acted as if they had never heard of the do not call registry. She also said she was not a telemarketer. Isn't a tele-marketer someone who is trying to get your money for something over the phone without your prior request to be contacted?

I would like to formally challenge this charities donor policy. They actively sell, trade and sell donor's personal information with the fallowing groups: Courtesy Call, Inc., Associated Community Services, Preferred Community Services, Inc., Community Call. These organizations in turn will call, write, and bill you on the behalf of other organizations. All with out your consent or permission. This is a flagrant violation and their rating should negatively reflect that.

They must be stopped! The 5 or 4 star reviews look like they are fake. THESE PEOPLE KEEP CALLING ME AND NEVER STOP, THEY DO NOT RESPECT THE DO NOT CALL REQUESTS!

I get a call from this charity every month claiming I have made a pledge and badgering me for money. The first time, I thought, maybe I did and just forgot, so I sent in a contribution. Now I know better. They even send a reminder by mail every 2-3 months. I'm sure some people are helped by this organization, but their tactics leave me cold.

Previous reviewer is absolutely correct... always inquire about how much of a dollar contributed actually goes to the cause. Tonight I received a call from this organization and they told me 5% of my first donation would go to the cause and "up to 20%" of future donations would go to the cause. So, if I gave a $1 donation they were going to keep $.95 What a scam! All they are going to do is redistribute my donation. When I asked why it took 95% of donated funds to redistribute my donation to other non-profits they routed my to a supervisor. This is a scam that takes advantage of people's generosity. I encourage you to ask the question..."how much of my donation goes to the cause you state" Depending on the organization it could range from 15% to 40%.

I hope everyone asks the one question that I do of any charity that calls. "How much of my donation is actually being used for this purpose" With the purpose being whatever they are saying they are raising money for. I was amazed when the woman on the phone answered 5%. She did throw in that any future contributions would be 20%. There are many other charities out there that will actually use the majority of a donation to benefit the cause they are supporting.

Cancer Fund of America helped to offset the costs related to my cancer treatment. I especially appreciate the monthly case of nutrition supplement that they sent. When my doctor suggested that I use these, I was stunned at how expensive they are! When I began having severe "hot flashes" right after my chemotherapy treatments, they sent a fan. It helped SO much!
The only suggestion I would make is that they not send items that have not been requested. I did not find these particularly useful and donated them to Goodwill.
I recommend Cancer Fund of America to those dealing with the high costs of treatment. While it is limited in resources, what it is able to provide is of tremendous value!

I worked for this so called "charity" in 2006-2007. Other reviewers who have worked for this company have been right on the money. I worked at the office in Dearborn, MI and the one in Southfield MI. When I first started I was so excited to get paid for advancing such a noble cause. I quickly became discouraged, however, because they made us really badger people, requiring us to get turned down 3 times per call, & I remember seeing the same names pop up on my computer screen more than one time in the same day. What really got me though, was that in April of 2007, a prospective donor told me that her son had cancer and they called our help line for assistance, but the recording said we weren't accepting new applications for assistance until JANUARY of 2007, several months prior! I couldn't believe it, so I called it myself and sure enough that's what the recording said. I spoke to my manager about it and she said she would investigate it. About a month later I heard a similar complaint, so I called it again. I heard the exact same message, but now the year was 2008!!! I was mortified! So I went home and checked out a couple of sites like this and discovered I was working for a band of shysters! While it's not a scam altogether, (they do help SOME people) it is operated more like most corporate entities, far more concerned with PROFITS (in the form of 6 digit incomes for executives) than in the fortunes of those they claim to help. I could no longer work there in good conscience. They're essentially praying on the misfortunes of the poorest cancer patients, by invoking sympathy for these poor souls to get you, the general public, to donate some of your hard earned money to their mansions, vacations, sports cars, and who knows what?! My first thought was, I wonder how much money these reprehensible execs have donated to ANY cause themselves?!
Robin, 1st let me say I'm so sorry to hear you have cancer. What a terrible affliction. Hopefully soon someone will come up with a cure, so people like you won't have to suffer! God bless you and get well soon! I'm also glad that you were among the fortunate ones to receive help from CFA. I would likely feel the same way if I were in your situation. My only concern is this: I am a compassionate person who derives great satisfaction from helping others, which is what I thought I was doing when I was first hired there. But having seen how they operate first hand, and having done some internet research, I began to feel guilty about coming to work everyday. Please follow me for just a moment here. Each person with the heart to donate to a worthy cause has only so much money they can donate, right? So, nationwide there is only so much money that can be collected each year. So, if someone wanting to make a bundle of money opens a "charity" and begins soliciting millions of dollars, but only passes on a very small percentage of those donations to their cause, so they can live in a million dollar house, aren't they misusing monies that could have been collected by legitimate charities that would have given a much higher amount of help to people like you? You said 2 or 3 charities helped you out. What if one of those charities called someone who had just donated to CFA, and they couldn't donate to that charity, because they'd just donated to CFA? Say they donated $1000 dollars to CFA, and CFA execs kept $900 for their sports cars, and sent you 1 box of supplies. Now the other charity calls (who may have sent you 4 boxes of supplies with that same $1000 donation) but that person has just made their budgeted donation to an organization who is only helping nominally. See how that can affect you?! Doesn't it sound just a little shady that they are soliciting positive reviews from those they've helped? You said you were "MORE than willing to participate" as would most people of limited means who are ill and have been helped by a charity, right? That said, count the number of reviews claiming they got help from CFA! Thirty, MAYBE? They collect in excess of 5 million dollars a year, yet even though they are SOLICITING positive reviews, only thirty people spoke up?! So how many people do you think they ACTUALLY helped with those millions?! I hope you can see the logic of what I am saying. Donations made to CFA come at the expense of people like you!! Either way, my heart goes out to you, and I'll pray for your speedy recovery! God Bless Greg

The help I have recieved from Cancer Fund of America is wonderful. I was diagnosed with Head and Neck cancer and the treatments left me where I cannot eat normally. Thats all Cancer Fund of America needed to know and the came to my assistance.They send me liquid nutrition each month, and sent me a box full of other items like vitamins, toothbrushes, a video and an art/craft book that I can enjoy with my grandchildren, and several other useful items, even Little Debbie snacks. All at no charge to me. They even pay the shipping. This is a GREAT organization.

After receiving the word that CFA needed some verbal support, I was MORE than willing to participate. When I read the few other reviews that I found, I realized the importance of the input. My own experience was life-saving in many ways. After I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and had the surgery, I must have tried to contact at least 20-25 different agencies and foundations, both local and national. Much to my dismay, only 2 or 3 were able to help me. When I did get the packages each month, it was like Xmas !!! There was always something in there that I would not have had the $ to purchase, and REALLY needed. It always seemed to be perfect timing. I am extremely grateful for Cancer Fund of America. It helped boost my morale, when things really seemed hopeless.

THIS IS AN AWESOME CHARITY. ON THIS JOURNEY OF BREAST CANCER OF ALL THE CHARITIES OUT THERE THIS THE ONLY ONE THAT CAME THRU WITH ANYTHING! I RECIEVE AN AWESOME BOX EVERY 2 MONTHS WITH VERY USEFUL PERSONAL CARE ITEMS, CLEANING ITEMS, GIFT BAGS AND CARDS, MOVIES FOR THE KIDS, GIFT ITEMS, AND A PERFECT SUPPLEMENT REGIMEN. IT'S LIKE CHRISTMAS WHEN THE BOX ARRIVES EVERYONE GETS EXCITED!!! EVEN A SNACK!

I am a caregiver for the client. This is a wonderful service. Cancer is an expensive disease. If it wasn't for Cancer Fund of America we would have to purchase the items we receive from them. That is a great financial help for us. We appreciate them very much.

My Neighbor has cancer and no none can stay at home all the time so I look in on her. When the boxes from the Cancer Fund of America arrive, it's like she lights up and has a reason to really try to get better. They send not only the medication and vitimins she needs to stay alive but they send the DVDs, books, and little gifts that make her life a little better on a more personal level.
I can't praise them enough, they do more more than they realize.

I am a caregiver for the client, if not for the efforts of the Cancer Fund of America she would be dead. More often than not they would send something that was desperately needed. OTC medications kept her out of the hospital, the vitimins kept her alive while she did not want to eat, (i.e. a partial blockage in her bowels left her with very little area to digest; however, she gets the vitimins down easily and it's kept her alive), the small flashlight may seem like nothing to you but when the power went out and her oxygen condenser turned off having that flashlight prevented an all out panic attack and let her know she was safe. The DVDs provided a distraction because she is unable to get out of bed, the other small gifts do the same, she looks over the cards and packages, huggs the stuffed snowman as though its the most precious thing in the world, uses the powder and lotions every day - it makes her feel more alive as though there is hope and someone dose care. Words can not express just how wonderful the people and service provided by the Cancer Fund of America is, I know without them she would not be the same person. Thank you and remember, they are NOT the American Cancer Foundation but THE CANCER FUND OF AMERICA THAT CARES FOR AND SERVES THE PUBLIC.

Outstanding Charity for Cancer Patients a very needed service. We diagnosed my first call was to the local American Cancer Society that raised money all year to help the needy I could not get any help I was told it went to research only. This charity has helped me in so many ways providing me with care packages and a fan in summer I don't have central air and have one air conditioner so they are TRULY A BLESSING!

I got more than I had expected.

The Cancer Fund of America sends out packages of household goods. You may not need all the items in the package, but the ones you do saves you money that can be used for medical expenses.

We have to travel 310 miles a week for treatments and any money we can save goes for gas.

I am an RN and a "Patient Navigator" at a Cancer Center in Carrollton, GA. Through our Cancer Center, Cancer Fund of America (CFOA) has provided numerous cancer patients with personal products, household products, liquid nourishment products, blankets, fans, and many other helpful items. In a time when patients are emotionally and financially overwhelmed with a diagnosis of cancer, as well as the costs associated with cancer treatments, CFOA has helped, and continues to help, MANY oncology patients in our center with the overwhelming financial burdens they are facing. Thank you so much, CFOA- from our cancer patients and from the Roy Richards, Sr. Cancer Center in Carrollton, Georgia!