The volume of donations nearly staggered the local charities set up after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, according to a report just issued by Gov. Malloy, Consumer Protection Commissioner William Rubenstein and Attorney General George Jepsen.
The report evaluates information given by fund-raising groups, provides evaluations of their responses and offers ways for state officials and non-profit groups to collaborate. They also released a new Charities Disaster Relief Guide.
“Each time our state is hit hard by a large-scale emergency or extreme weather related events, we see the best in human nature – that innate impulse and need to help and give during another person’s darkest hour,” Malloy said in a statement. “We introduced this report to create a more transparent and streamlined system of accounting for the funds that are collected, recorded and distributed to Connecticut residents following a catastrophic event. This resource is one of the many steps we have taken to demonstrate that we are serious about better serving the public by making state government more transparent, more responsive and more efficient.”
“The generosity of people from all corners of our country and beyond was on display in the days and weeks following that horrible day in Sandy Hook,” Jepsen said. “The goal of this report is to document that generosity and provide transparency to the giving public about where their donations went while also developing strategies on how we can better prepare for and respond to tragic events. I appreciate the cooperation of the various organizations; 96 percent of those we asked to complete a voluntary survey did respond. My office will continue to communicate with these groups and monitor disbursement of remaining charitable funds.”
“This report and the new Charities Disaster Relief Guide demonstrate our strong commitment to oversee charitable activities and fundraising in Connecticut, and I wish to express my thanks to the Sandy Hook donors worldwide for their generosity, and to the charities themselves for cooperating with us as we worked to establish a system of transparency and accountability appropriate for a charitable effort of this magnitude,” Rubenstein said in a statement. “The Disaster Relief Guide is a must-read for anyone involved in soliciting, managing, or donating funds for emergency relief. We have researched, collected and combined the best practices, resources and laws applicable to Connecticut into one easy to understand document.”
This is from the news release:
“Within months of the tragedy, the Attorney General and Commissioner Rubenstein asked organizations and individuals that had been identified as having engaged in charitable fundraising related to Sandy Hook to complete a survey about their activities. In the fall of 2013, a second voluntary survey was issued to the organizations. The survey was sent electronically and was comprised of questions about funds raised, whether fundraisers communicated a designated charitable intent, categories of expenditures, unspent funds, surplus funds and general organizational information.
In total, 77 organizations provided information in response to the surveys, which serve as the basis of today’s report. The respondents reported raising over $28 million in connection with the Sandy Hook tragedy. Of that, over $15 million had been distributed at the time of the survey responses. Unspent funds were reserved by organizations for long-term community needs – including mental health and other services – memorials, scholarships and future programming.”