Q. How does the Attorney General address complaints concerning charities and charitable solicitation?
A. The Attorney General's Office receives thousands of inquiries and complaints from the general public, news reporters, and other interested parties regarding the conduct of charitable organizations and charitable solicitors. All complaints about charities and charitable solicitation are reviewed by the staff of the Attorney General's Charities Bureau. An investigation is conducted in those cases in which there is reliable evidence of a misuse of charitable assets or mismanagement resulting in a significant financial loss to the charity. If these improper actions have resulted in a loss of charitable assets, the Attorney General may sue the directors and officers to recover from them the missing funds. The funds recovered by the Attorney General are returned to the charity. Disclosure procedures generally prohibit the Attorney General from discussing pending investigations or indicating whether any specific action has or will be taken with respect to a particular organization. However, you may be assured that the Attorney General seeks to administer the laws regarding charities and charitable solicitation equitably and efficiently.
Q. Are there some complaints concerning not-for-profit corporations that the Attorney General does not investigate?
A. Generally speaking the Attorney General's Charities Bureau does not investigate complaints concerning homeowners' associations and other non-profit membership corporations that are not charities; matters involving internal labor disputes, contested elections and disagreements between directors and/or members over policy and procedures; or claimed violations of religious laws or doctrine by churches or religious corporations.