Criticism of Watchdog Was Out of Line

To the Editor:

It is very interesting that Joshua Gotbaum, former chief executive of the September 11th Fund, has started taking cheap and erroneous shots at me in the pages of The Chronicle (“Love Him or Hate Him, Charity Watchdog Garners Lots of Attention,” November 28, 2002, and “Lessons Learned After September 11,” February 6) over two years after the terrorist strike.

Soon after the terrorist strike, the American Institute of Philanthropy issued a warning on its Web site that charities often use a highly publicized crisis to raise money for other purposes. This is exactly what the American Red Cross tried to do before the public uproar forced it to change course. Early on, the American Institute of Philanthropy told donors to not forget to support their favorite charities since they may experience severe shortfalls with so much attention and money being focused on the crisis.

The American Institute of Philanthropy also strongly came out in support of measures to improve the efficiency of the charities, including a unified database and uniform victim application forms.

The American Institute of Philanthropy worked tirelessly to assist donors, the media, government officials, and victims in the aftermath of September 11. Mr. Gotbaum’s published remarks that my comments “hurt the families of the victims” are out of line. Most victims with whom I have spoken are glad that there is a tough watchdog out there working to encourage charities to use their contributions for their intended purpose.

Mr. Gotbaum may be uncomfortable with the American Institute of Philanthropy’s critical comments, but many others strongly believe that they benefit the nonprofit field.

Daniel Borochoff
President
American Institute of Philanthropy
Chicago