I recently received a solicitation in the mail from the Federal Way Police Officers’ Guild that looks very much like a charitable solicitation to a worthy organization. Being a tax accountant, I have learned to be suspicious of solicitations by police, fire and veteran’s organizations because many of them are poorly run or are phony charities.

As it turns out, FWPOG is not a charity, it is a labor organization. They even say so in small print on their letter. Gifts to them are not tax deductible. According to their 2017 form 990 that they file with the IRS, they area a 501(c)(5) organization. See www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/other-non-profits/labor-and-agricultural-organizations for details. Of the $74,508 they spent in 2017, $41,472 went to professional fees and other payments to independent contractors. Usually this means professional fundraisers. On their solicitation, they list NEP Websites as their professional fundraiser.

Certainly you should draw your own conclusions about whether or not to donate to this organization but be assured they are not a charity in the legal sense of the word, and a high percentage of the money collected seems to be for the benefit of the fundraisers.

Frank Duke

Federal Way