It's an alarming warning from the state Attorney General, more than half - 61 percent to be exact - of all funds raised by Michigan charities appear to be lining the pockets of those fundraisers as opposed to helping those in need.
The findings were found in the fundraising charitable solicitation report.
The majority of professional fundraising in Michigan is done through telemarketing. Those professional fundraisers are required to submit the results of their campaigns to the AG.
One of the charities that appear to be doing the right thing is the Salvation Army. Eighty-seven percent of their revenue goes towards the needy.
"That's why it was given, and we want to honor that," says Major Russ Sjogren, commander of the Salvation Army in Southfield.
He tells us how his organization accomplishes that number.
"It takes a lot of people looking at those figures. We get it confirmed every year by our auditors, as well as an annual report we send, so people can see where their dollar goes."
You can also check a fundraiser's track record with the Better Business Bureau, which tells us, a good charity's spending should not exceed 35 percent of their intake.
Below are links the attorney general's office provides to search fundraiser data:
