Fundraising Company Fined More Than $1 Million for Violating State Charity Law

The South Carolina Secretary of State has fined a Minnesota company more than $1 million dollars for violating the state's Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act. Secretary of State Mark Hammond's office has fined Strategic Fundraising Inc. $1,054,000 for what it says were "numerous violations," including mandatory disclosure and failure to register. The investigation concluded the company's callers did not disclose they were paid or professional solicitors, the location of the charitable organization for which the caller was soliciting and "misrepresentation of the percentage of donations used for charitable programs."