Paula implied that the orgs spend too much on "conference-attending, in beautiful places, with first class accommodations, gourmet dinners, and exorbitant fees." That may be, but it is is a drop in the bucket compared to the funds wasted by duplicative expenses incurred by having so many national orgs (one of our initial issues).

"Letting business get away with spending money that should go to consumers is the American way - so let's just all accept it and go home. We don't want to offend, so we'll just suffer and be happy with what we have." wrote Paula

Personally, I don't worry about offending anyone if I believe what I have to say is true and needs to be brought to light to remedy a wrong. I suspect that most of the people on this thread feel the same way. We cannot afford to accept the status quo and hide in our homes until death comes to take us.

If anyone has objections to the way a specific org is spending their donations, I would hope they choose a different org as the charity of their choice. I would also recommend that if you stop supporting a particular org, you write a letter saying that and explaining your reasons. Money talks... even small amounts add up

What is our first step to turn all this talk into action?
sheryl