Charity tries zealous approach

Street solicitation campaign for Children International is legal, but state hears complaints

By Jon Bell

The Portland Tribune, Jan 14, 2005, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Though the enthusiastic solicitors who pound the pavement in search of new sponsors for Children International may be a bit aggressive at times Ñ they’ve been known to tail prospective donors down the street or onto buses Ñ their campaign is legal and legitimate, according to the Oregon Department of Justice.

What’s not always so clear is that the solicitors are actually paid employees of DialogueDirect Inc., a professional fund-raising company that, by contract, is being paid $180 for each new sponsor that is signed up.

Victoria Cox, public information officer for the Justice Department’s Charitable Activities Section, said her office has received several inquiries, including one from the Portland Police Bureau, about the legitimacy of the current campaign. She said she’s heard reports from police and pedestrians that the solicitors, who are paid by the hour and on commission, have been overly aggressive in their efforts.

However, she said, DialogueDirect has registered the campaign with the Justice Department and filed all the necessary paperwork.

Despite the formalities, Cox said the department is working to determine whether the 10 or so “dialoguers” who’ve been working in Portland since July have been making the appropriate disclosures to donors on the street.

By law, petitioners such as those working for DialogueDirect must disclose that they are working for a professional fund-raising company before asking for money, Cox said. They must also say how much of a donation for impoverished children will go directly to the charity.

Briana Cano, one of the solicitors, said she and her colleagues always follow the protocols, even as they adapt their pitch to different potential donors. In addition, she referenced a chart showing that Children International spends about 10 percent of its annual revenues on fund raising and 80 percent on programs. Another 8 percent is spent on “management and general activities,” and 2 percent on reserves.

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