Charity Governance Fight Brewing in Oklahoma

This story in the Oklahoman details a fight brewing over the governance of Feed the Children, an Oklahoma City-based charity known for the emotional fundraising appeals of its founder, Larry Jones. According to the story, in December the charity replaced five long-time board members, who have now filed a lawsuit asking for a ruling that their dismissal violated the charity’s bylaws.

Maybe they shouldn’t be so upset: the story also reports that the American Institute of Philanthropy, a nonprofit watchdog group, has routinely given the charity an “F” grade, in part because Feed the Children spends only 18% of its cash budget on program services, as opposed to 60% on fundraising appeals and has repeatedly refused to disclose more detail on its activities.

JDC