Charities need dollars and sense

CRYSTAL RIVER — On any given day, Jewel Lamb might have four or five new requests for donations sitting on her desk at Crystal Automotive.

Matthew Beck

Jewel Lamb discusses the process she and her husband Steve go through when selecting charitable organizations to work with. She says the two carefully scrutinize where their money goes to ensure dollars have maximum impact.

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Matthew Beck

Fourth-grade student James McDougal works on his homework at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Citrus County Beverly Hills facility Monday. The students work on their school studies after arriving at the club to ensure homework and grades remain a high priority.

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As local business owners, she and her husband Steve believe strongly in philanthropy, that God expects it of them, and they take great pleasure in supporting the charities and organizations that directly benefit the people of Citrus County.
 

But they’re not patsies or pushovers — and if you’re a nonprofit seeking their help, or help from someone like them, there are a few things you should know.
 

“With the economic situation we’re in, we all have to be smarter with our money and who we give our money to,” Lamb said. “As a rule, I don’t give to an organization with administrative costs over 20 percent.”

As they do every year, Crystal Automotive recently donated a Corvette to a local organization to raise funds. This year, Lamb chose the United Way and the Black Diamond Foundation, who will share the proceeds from ticket sales.

Three thousand tickets have been printed, costing $100 a piece. Until May 31 or until 1,000 tickets have been sold, those who purchase a ticket will get another one free. In past years, Lamb has chosen organizations such as the We Care Food Pantry and the Boys & Girls Club.
 

“Every year, Crystal looks at what we did in the past and we set a budget,” Lamb said. “We look at the charities and if we’re pleased with what they did last year, we’ll support them this year.

“We try to stick to the budget, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be something that comes across the desk that touches our heart and we know we need to do it,” she said.
 

That said, she does say no.
 

“We prioritize the need,” she said. “It’s hard for Crystal to send a child on a field trip when I know that there are children not eating in Citrus County. That’s our goal. We want to make sure everyone is fed in Citrus County. That takes precedence over anything. Still, it’s hard to say no.”
 

She said she researches every organization that solicits donations from Crystal Automotive.
 

“My first question is, ‘What are your administrative costs?’” she said.
An out-of-the-area organization that had approached her last month reported a 70 percent cost.

“I got so aggravated,” she said. “How dare they call someone in our county and only 30 percent is going to the cause? I was so angry!”
She added that at a recent community event someone repeated erroneous information about the United Way’s administrative costs being 70 percent.

According to John Marmish, executive director of the United Way of Citrus County, their overhead is 14.42 percent, a cost the organization continuously works at getting as low as possible.

The United Way funds 20 local agencies with a $593,000 budget this year.
 

“People don’t research,” Marmish said. “They hear things and repeat it and it does great harm to our reputation. We watch every nickel and dime. That’s our role, to be stewards of the public’s money.”
At the Boys & Girls Clubs of Citrus County, a United Way organization, their overhead runs 18 percent.
 

“Almost all the funds we raise go directly to benefit the kids,” said Lane Vick, executive director of the agency. “We only have three office staff and we do it all. A lot of the things we use, art supplies or food for cooking activities, are donated by parents and local businesses. We’ve always been careful with any money we receive.”
To meet their $474,739 budget, the Boys & Girls Clubs relies on fundraisers such as the upcoming Steak & Steak event, the annual car giveaway and Taste of Inverness; grants, especially from Kids Central; private donations; business partners, and the United Way.
As for the Black Diamond Foundation, which supports more than 19 local charities, projects and organizations, their overhead is less than 2 percent, used for postage and printing.

“We have that advantage because we’re all successful retired people who want to give back to the community we live in, and we all volunteer our time,” said Bill Joens, president of the Black Diamond Foundation.

He said when they’re approached by people for donations, they look at the requesting organization’s financial records and business plan — how they plan on raising money.
 

“We ask, what’s their mission?” Joens said. “Who are they striving to serve?”
 

Marmish said as the public’s charity dollars have gotten more scarce and selective, the United Way also has had to become more selective.
 

“In years past when an agency came to the United Way, if it was a good cause we’d support it,” Marmish said. “Now it’s more involved. Now you’ve got to fit in with one of the (also national) categories: education, income or health.”
 

Lamb said the make-up of an organization’s board of directors is also something she looks at.

“Do you trust the people on the board?” she said.

She also looks at an organization’s reserves and assets, whether they’re excessive.
 

“I’ve always questioned, if the need is there, why keep money in reserve?”
 

Marmish said the local United Way requires copies of minutes from board meetings, financial reviews and the budget for the coming year.
 

“Most important is their outcome measurement,” he said. “What are they doing for the community? Is it bringing back value to us as a community? If they’re just a charity to be a charity, we’ll see that.”
Lamb said for her husband and herself, giving is something they feel obligated to do and love doing.
 

“With the Corvette, what person doesn’t picture themself driving one? It’s been so successful and we’re so blessed to be able to do it,” she said. “It’s so rewarding.”

Chronicle reporter Nancy Kennedy can be reached at (352) 564-2927 or nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.