Police, firefighters and veterans charities among the worst

Above the law: America's worst charities
CNN
By Kris Hundley and Kendall Taggart, Special to CNN
June 13, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
A year-long investigation identified America's 50 worst charities
At the top of the list is Kids Wish Network, which gave nearly $110m to corporate solicitors
This charity, like many others on the list, mimic well-known charity names that fool donors
The data show the worst charities devote less than 4% of donations to direct cash aid
Editor's note: CNN has partnered with the Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting to showcase the results of their year-long investigation to identify America's worst charities.

(CNN) -- The worst charity in America operates from a metal warehouse behind a gas station in Holiday, Florida.

Every year, Kids Wish Network raises millions of dollars in donations in the name of dying children and their families.

Every year, it spends less than 3 cents on the dollar helping kids.

Most of the rest gets diverted to enrich the charity's operators and the for-profit companies Kids Wish hires to drum up donations.

In the past decade alone, Kids Wish has channeled nearly $110 million donated for sick children to its corporate solicitors. An additional $4.8 million has gone to pay the charity's founder and his own consulting firms.

No charity in the nation has siphoned more money away from the needy over a longer period of time. But Kids Wish is not an isolated case, a yearlong investigation by the Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting has found.

Using state and federal records, the Times and CIR identified nearly 6,000 charities that have chosen to pay for-profit companies to raise their donations.

Then reporters took an unprecedented look back to zero in on the 50 worst - based on the money they diverted to boiler room operators and other solicitors over a decade.
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50 Worst Charities

5 Firefighters Charitable Foundation
$63.8 million total raised
$54.7 million paid to solicitors

7 International Union of Police Associations
$57.2 million total raised
$41.4 million

8 National Veterans Service Fund
$70.2 million total raised
$36.9 million

9 American Association of State Troopers
$45.0 million total raised
$36.0 million

14 Association for Firefighters and Paramedics
$23.2 million total raised
$20.8 million

18 United States Deputy Sheriffs' Association
$23.1 million total raised
$15.9 million paid to solicitors

19 Vietnow National Headquarters
$18.1 million total raised
$15.9 million paid to solicitors

20 Police Protective Fund
$34.9 million total raised
$14.8 million paid to solicitors

24 The Veterans Fund
$15.7 million total raised
$12.9 million paid to solicitors

30 Disabled Police Officers of America Inc.
$10.3 million total raised
$8.1 million paid to solicitors

31 National Police Defense Foundation
$9.9 million total raised
$7.8 million paid to solicitors

33 Reserve Police Officers Association
$8.7 million total raised
$7.7 million paid to solicitors

35 Disabled Police and Sheriffs Foundation
$9.0 million total raised
$7.6 million paid to solicitors

36 Disabled Police Officers Counseling Center
$8.2 million total raised
$6.9 million paid to solicitors

39 Shiloh International Ministries
$8.0 million
$6.2 million paid to solicitors

40 Circle of Friends For American Veterans
$7.8 million total raised
$5.7 million paid to solicitors

43 Firefighters Assistance Fund
$5.6 million total raised
$4.6 million paid to solicitors

47 Our American Veterans
$2.6 million total raised
$2.3 million paid to solicitors

49 Firefighters Burn Fund
$2.0 million total raised
$1.7 million paid to solicitors