September 9, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
Two blog writers are criticizing an online quiz created by Charity Navigator.
On its Web site, the charity watchdog group in Mahwah, N.J., asks 12 questions about the nonprofit world.
But Bill Huddleston, a fund-raising consultant in Virginia, says the test has a misleading question regarding charity compensation.
Question No. 7 asks what is the “average charity chief’s annual compensation” and provides three choices: $158,000; $58,000; and $580,000.
Charity Navigator says the correct response is $158,000. But that figure is based on the watchdog group’s survey of 5,400 of the country’s largest charities, which earn quite a bit more than the average charity leader, argues Mr. Huddleston.
He says the answer will give the wrong impression to donors.
People will think, “‘The average nonprofit CEO earns $158,000, that’s four times what a police officer earns and five times the salary of a new teacher –- why should I give my money to those greedy nonprofits?’” he writes on his blog.
In a similar complaint, the Rev. Eric Foley, who is vice president of training for Mission Increase Foundation, in Lake Oswego, Ore., writes on his blog that another part of the quiz is wrong.
The answer to question No. 5, which asks what people should do to help disaster victims, suggests they support “vetted” charities. Mr. Foley contends that small, local churches and charities are actually the best equipped to provide emergency relief.
What do you think of the quiz? Do you agree with its critics?
