tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15453937.post3379266321344755046..comments2024-01-10T17:36:15.040-07:00Comments on The Lippard Blog: Creationist finances: the Creation Evidence MuseumLippardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826768452963498005noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15453937.post-63586770686706089022007-01-07T12:18:00.000-07:002007-01-07T12:18:00.000-07:00Ed:
I believe that raising funds for a specific p...Ed:<br /><br />I believe that raising funds for a specific purpose and then not using them for that purpose would constitute fraud, but without a complaining victim it is not likely that anything will be done about it. It may be that the donations were collected under the understanding that if not enough was raised for the new museum, it would go into general funds, and it may also be that donors were later notified that the project was not going to happen and offering the possibility of refund--in my opinion that would be the only ethical course of action.<br /><br />In my experience, there is not a lot of oversight on nonprofits and it takes extreme malfeasance and complaints from victims to get any enforcement action to occur. For example, for many years tax-exempt nonprofit "credit counseling" services have been used in conjunction with telemarketing companies to engage in fairly blatant scams, but the IRS only took action last year to revoke the tax-exempt status of a number of these scammers.Lippardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16826768452963498005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15453937.post-91807964628421137832007-01-07T06:20:00.000-07:002007-01-07T06:20:00.000-07:00About three years ago I attended a "kick-off" fund...About three years ago I attended a "kick-off" fund raising lecture in Glen Rose with Baugh and Duane Gish. They were embarking on a national tour to raise money for a new museum structure, to be built (inexplicably) in the shape of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. I'd have to consult my notes, but I think they needed about $36 million to get it off the ground.<br /><br />Without going in to too many details of that presentation ("Mr. Woodpecker," one of Gish's favorite cartoon characters, played a prominent role in the Gish part), I just want to say that I was under the impression that they hoped to get the money raised to break ground by now. The 200 or so people in the audience included about 198 who greeted this news enthusiastically, and I recall several checks being written on the spot.<br /><br />From your analysis, do you think there is activity in this group, particularly with the failure to complete these various museum fund-raising projects, that might raise the interest of the Texas attorney general? Can non-profits raise money under one pretense, then spend it under another?Ed Darrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10056539160596825210noreply@blogger.com