September 13,2004

Baucus Comments on Recent Study on Confidence in Charities

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Today, Senator Max Baucus, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following comments on a recent survey from Paul Light, New York University professor and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. The survey showed public confidence in charities has waned in the wake of the terrorist attacks from September 11, 2001.

Senator Baucus’ comments follow:

"The increasing frequency of stories about careless, unethical and illegal behavior by a small number of charities is undermining public confidence in the charitable community. If left unchecked, the misconduct of a few will continue to hurt fundraising by legitimate organizations and overshadow the work done by the vast majority of charities. Like the recent corporate scandals, strong action may be needed to re-energize Americans' faith in their bedrock institutions."

The full survey can be found at: http://www.brookings.edu/views/papers/light/20040913.htm