My Nonprofit Reviews

1/22/13 - I just noticed that there is NOT a 990 posted for 2013 for Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CRSA or the Goodwill Works Foundation. When you click on the 2013 link, the 990 for 2012 appears. So my references below should be amended to say 2012, not 2013.

Guidestar...where are the 2013 filings for these two organizations?

One more disturbing thing to note. George Snelling, the board chairman of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CRSA has a major conflict of interest. His company does substantial business with Goodwill. So Jim Stiff is "accountable" to a man whom he pays handsomely, through Goodwill, as a vendor.

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Meredith Stiff of Augusta was paid $212,705 (including a $40,000 "bonus") in 2013 as the "Executive Director" of the Macon-based Goodwill Works Foundation (the fundraising arm of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CRSA). She is the wife of James Stiff, the CEO of the latter.

(See page 27 of Goodwill Works Foundation's 2013 Form 990 for proof of Meredith's $212,705 compensation.)

A simple perusal of Meredith's Facebook pages reveals that it's highly unlikely she works 40 hours per week as the 990 filing indicates on page 7. In her posts, she refers to herself as a stay-at-home mom and there is absolutely no evidence that she performs any duties on a daily basis related to the operation of the Foundation. And even if she did, $212,705 in compensation is outrageous for an organization that only took in $1.7 million in donations that year.

(I have screen shots of Meredith's Facebook posts that include dates and times and pictures of frequent trips to the Augusta Country Club, swanky restaurants, beauty salons and other non-work-related destinations during customary business hours.)

What duties did Meredith perform and from where? Administrative staff in Macon and Augusta can verify that she does not have an office or staff in either location. She isn't involved in fundraising, either. In 2013, Chris Johnston was the VP of Advancement and he led a team of fundraising professionals.

It also should be noted that the two listed "board members" of the Goodwill Works Foundation actually retired in 2012. So who replaced them? And why are retired board members listed as active on the 2013 Form 990? When was the last time this "board" actually met?

(Ask any CPA about the inappropriateness of a wife overseeing donations for an organization led by her husband. Why is this unusual arrangement acceptable to the board that Jim Stiff reports to?)

It's hard not to wonder if the Stiff's have been fleecing Goodwill for years for their own personal gain. The evidence certainly raises questions and eyebrows.

Review the 990's of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia from 1994-2012 to see how disproportionately high Meredith (Vasquez)'s salary was compared to her peers. Meredith Vasquez became James Stiff's girlfriend in the late 1990's and was compensated well beyond other employees in her marketing position. When red flags were raised about a husband supervising his wife (they married in 2008), Meredith was hired as the "Executive Director" of the Foundation, which is a separate legal entity.

In 2014, there were lay-offs and pay-cuts (between 10% to 25% for all administrative staff) at Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CRSA. I'll be eager to review the 990 of the Goodwill Works Foundation for 2014 to see if Meredith's salary was reduced.

The IRS and the state Attorney General should investigate this matter.

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