Secretary of state confers with volunteer advisory council
BY JAMES SCOTT
Of The Post and Courier Staff
COLUMBIA--S.C. Secretary of State Mark Hammond met Tuesday with the newly created Nonprofit Advisory Council to discuss issues facing more than 6,000 such organizations currently operating in South Carolina.
The volunteer council, spearheaded by Hammond and composed of more than two dozen state leaders in the nonprofit sector, discussed everything from the annual "Scrooges and Angels" list to using the Internet for filing annual financial statements.
Hammond, whose office oversees the filings of corporate and nonprofit organizations, stressed that while he cannot serve as a lobbying agency for the nonprofit industry, he is committed to find ways to better serve it as well as to protect people who donate money.
"I want to open up lines of communication," Hammond said. "It also is my duty as secretary of state to do everything possible to protect the charitable giver."
Some issues raised during the three-hour meeting include a concern by many in the nonprofit sector that state government, facing budget shortfalls and cutbacks, might eliminate some privileges that nonprofits now enjoy, such as not having to pay property and sales taxes.
"The nonprofit sector can't be expected to pick up the slack," said Dennis Brown, executive director of Meals on Wheels of Greenville. "We are facing cutbacks and shortages, too."
Another issue raised was the secretary of state's annual "Scrooges and Angels" program that highlights the giving habits of charities. Some said the program singles out only a relatively small number of charities while leaving many good ones unrecognized.
Some council members also said they wanted to see more public education about the services that charities and nonprofits provide.
"You hear in the papers more about the scams rather than the legitimate agencies," said advisory council member Carter Clark, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands. "Educating people on how to protect themselves from non-legitimate agencies is important."
Hammond, who plans to meet with the committee again in the spring, said his office investigates every complaint, from trademark infringement to telemarketers that don't disclose everything outlined under the law. "This is a very important office," he said. "Anyone who wants to incorporate or do business in South Carolina comes through this office."
Click here to return to story:
http://www.charleston.net/stories/102903/sta_29nonprofits.shtml