770-807-3915

Constantly calls and doesn't leave message. I am also on the no-call list. The Caller ID says "Hope House," but I doubt it's the real name.

This is Hope House.  They are a charity and they collect clothing and household items for their locations.  They are legit. I've donated at time.

[What follows is a statement of personal opinion which contains speculation regarding certain points.  Do your own research, and form your own opinions regarding these matters.]

Shannon,

It depends on what you consider to be "legit".  If you consider a "charity" which is primarily about getting free merchandise (your donations) and re-selling them for a nice profit, the vast majority of which goes into the pockets of one person, to be legitimate, I would have to take issue with you.

Atlanta has a problem with some scam "thrift stores" which get their merchandise by soliciting the public for donations in the name of various charitable causes, but are all about making an individual a lot of money .  The name, and the supposed causes, change from time to time, as the public gets wise to one identity after another.  But the slimeball behind the operation remains the same.  They appear to skirt around the law by donating a pittance to one questionable charity or another (I suspect these may be operated by them as well, directly or indirectly).  But primarily these "charities" operate more like a very profitable commercial activity.

Is "Hope House" the latest incarnation of this disgusting activity?  I do not know at this point, but I suspect it may be.  I can tell you this much, "Hope House" is not listed with Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org), and I personally consider that to be a bad sign.  

Here are a few tips before you donate to anyone:

In general, well run charities do little or no cold calling (contacting people on the phone who have no prior relationship with the charity).

Some charities whose names we all know are not worthy of our donations.  While most of these were well run charities at one time, over the years self serving people have obtained leadership positions, and the usage of donations has taken a turn towards high spending and high living, and away from the original charitable goal.  Fortunately, Charity Navigator makes it easy to check such organizations before you give.  These "charities gone bad" are among some of the most aggressive telephone solicitation operations.

There are a great many phony charities.  Unfortunately, laws regulating charities are inadequate and under-enforced.  These "charities" are an absolute gold mine for people who have no conscience or ethics.  They are frequently "legitimate" on paper - they have charitable tax status, are registered with the state, etc., because doing these things makes it very hard to go after them.  If they have an overhead of 95% (in other words if you give them $1.00, $0.95 goes into their personal pockets) then they are still technically a "charity".  Most states need stronger laws in this area, but what politician wants to run the gauntlet of going after a (hypothetical) charity like "Save the Puppies" or "Be Kind to Sick Children"?  It is a pretty short list.

I strongly suggest that you use CharityNavigator.ORG to research any charity you are considering donating to.  In Georgia, you can also call the Secretary of States "Securities and Business Regulations Division" at 404-656-3920 to see if a charity is registered.  I also strongly suggest that you read the web page at http://sos.georgia.gov/securities/charit.htm .  But keep in mind that scam charities are frequently registered, and that the financial paperwork that they submit is (more or less) done on the honor system, so take all of this with a grain of salt.

If you want to engage in charitable giving (and I think it is something we all should do if we can) then I suggest you pick one or two areas which matter to you.  Then contact charities involved in that area.  Research them on Charity Navigator, and with your state's Secretary of State, or Department of Consumer Affairs.  Once you are satisfied, then give.  I will also pass on what I do to help manage "charity fatigue".  I got tired of having my mailbox and my voice mail flooded with solicitations from those organizations I had given money to in the past.  It was not only annoying, it was a waste of the money I had donated to them.    So I wrote them all a letter, and I told them that I review my giving once a year.  I told them I did not want them to waste money soliciting me the rest of the year, so they may contact me, in writing, once each year, in January.  I also told them that it was not necessary to contact me at all, since they were already on my giving list.  I told them if they solicited me by telephone, or more than once a year, they would be removed from the list of charities I consider.  Now I had already been careful about which charities I allocated my limited resources too, so I can't promise everyone will get the response I did.  But only one of the charities I wrote to ignored that request.  That charity is now off of my list.

Giving is a wonderful thing, but when we give money to those who misuse it, we not only are squandering our resources, but we are encouraging dishonest behavior which is creating a problem for, and draining away funds from, legitimate and worthy charities.

(Got old household goods to donate? Consider The Salvation Army, National Council of Jewish Women, or any of the many churches and synagogues who pass them on to the needy, or operate thrift shops.)

BTW - I invite Hope House to reply to my concerns about them, including the names and contact info for key figures in their operation, how the donations are used, the percentage which goes to overhead and solicitation, and why they are not listed with Charity Navigator.  I would also invite them to contact Charity Navigator and ask to be listed.

Calls daily.

I would have to agree.  I don't believe that this company is legit either. They call me several times a day as well. I block the number and call again using another number.  I constantly tell them I don't have anything to donate over and over again.  If I didn't have anything to give you yesterday, more than likely I don't have anything today either.  In addition, I've gotten calls from cell phones as well asking me to donate.  I find it hard to believe that there are twenty different companies in the area doing cold calls to get donations.  My number is non-published and they call to say we will be in your area tomorrow.  When I asked what area is that they can't seem to answer. That's because you're cold calling and have no way of knowing where I'm really located... It's sad to see all the scams people put so much tim1e into stealing from others. If they would only spend the same amount of time and energy actually searching for a job!

i am replying to, and aggreeing with "not so fast shannon" i get many phone calls from this place and had, and still have no clue what or who they are. everytime i pick up my phone, they hang up!

Thanks for the posting that is very educational.

This is a scam tele fundraiser for it would seem multiple charities that are questionable themselves. However, in most states they must start their pitch by saying

"Hello, my name is (full name of fundraiser registered with the SOS or AG) and I am a paid fundraiser with (full name of fundraising company registered with AG or SOS) and I am calling "on behalf" of (full name of charity registered with AG or SOS)

If they do not do this and they claim to be members of the group they are raising money for then they are committing fraud against the donor. It is considered in some States to be "Obtaining Money By False Pretenses" and in others it is considered "Theft By Deception" and still other States considered it to be "Larceny". But no matter what you call it it is stealing from the Donor. In some cases when they get caught they are fined as much as 40 grand per call. I read our States Charitable Solicitation's Act and it looks like very few of these companies are raising money according to the Law's of our State and I will bet that if you read your States Charitable Solicitation Act you will find the same to be true.

When they claim to be a member of the group they are raising money for, as this company is doing, it is damaging all other charities that do not use so called "Professional Fundraiser's" to raise money. They all know this but they continue to steal from "us" the donating public. Fundraiser's like this must be put out of business as they lie to the donor and they do this because some of these so called fundraisers get to keep as much as 99% of the money they collect and they use that money to call us over and over again to ask us for more money that they can use to call us over and over again. If you want to give money to charity then the best way is to hang up on the tele fundraiser committing fraud and search out the charity yourself.

This company seems to be calling for Police Fire and Veteran's groups as well as medical and children's groups. All of which are wasting the bulk of your donation on fundraising and administrative costs like salary's for the charity officials.

They are the people whose information took out the United States Navy Veterans Association that stole 99.6 million in donations last year. They were also behind the demise of Civic Development Group out of NJ and the FTC's Operation False Charity in 2009 Nationwide based on their book "The Fraud Happen's In The First 8 Word's" which was sent out to all AG's and SOS's. They say they have contacts with the AG's, SOS's ,DHS, FTC, DOJ, FCC and Secret Service across the Country and their tips have been used in some of the largest Charity Fraud investigation's Nationwide as well as other Countries.  You can also find their book called "What The Fundraiser's Say" at a link on their site. They say they are a Church Group and they say this is the Mission of this Church to protect donations going to Police Fire Veteran Medical and Children's Charities. That book is a real eye opener made up of comments by the people calling you. After reading it, I will sure never make a donation over the phone again to any group that use so called "Professional Fundraiser's" that operate outside of the law and use illegal techniques to steal money from little sick kids or cops or firefighters or anyone else who really needs it.

Anyway, the long and short of it is, GIVE DIRECTLY AND CUT OUT MIDDLEMAN COMPANIES THAT CALL YOU!

Oh btw, the do not call list DOES apply to Professional Fundraiser's. Now if the charity actually picked up the phone and called then, yes, they are exempt from the DNC, but that is not what is happening here with this caller. This caller is Corporations for Character out of Murry Utah calling on behalf of the Fraternal Order of Police and the FTC just sued them for 26.4 billion dollars worth of DNC violations. That is 16 million violations at 16 thousand dollars each.

The FOP is a good group for the most part but they need to do their own fundraising instead of contracting a company like this one to raise money. So, if you want to help the cops or the FOP, dont do it over the phone and send your check right to your local lodge. They get every dollar of it that way, instead of some telemarketer taking 85% or more of every dollar.

Here is the FTC press release about this company

For Release: 05/09/2011
FTC Charges Utah Operation with Deceptive and Abusive Telemarketing
Defendants Allegedly Made 16 Million Calls to Numbers on the Do Not Call Registry; Misrepresented How Funds Would Be Used
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice today filed a complaint that charges three Utah-based firms and their owner with waging deceptive and illegal telemarketing campaigns pitching movies and soliciting for donations, including calls to more than 16 million phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry.

The FTC charged that the companies and their owner, Forrest S. Baker III, committed multiple violations of the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and deceived customers about where the proceeds from their purchases and their donations would go.

According to the FTC’s complaint, Baker controls a group of Utah-based companies that produce and market films and DVDs and solicit charitable contributions from consumers nationwide, including Feature Films for Families, Inc., Corporations for Character, L.C., and Family Films of Utah.

The complaint states that in 2008 and 2009 the defendants conducted a nationwide calling campaign under the name “Kids First,” in which they offered to send two complimentary DVDs and requested feedback on whether the movies should be included on a list of recommended movies. However, the defendants did not disclose that consumers who agreed to participate would later receive calls pitching DVDs produced by the defendants.

Moreover, the defendants’ telemarketers allegedly told consumers that “all of the proceeds of this fundraiser will help us finish up creating this recommended viewing list to help parents and grandparents, like us, with a list we can trust.” In fact, the organization responsible for the Kids First recommended viewing list, the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media, did not receive all the proceeds. The complaint alleges that the defendants received at least 93 percent of the DVD sales proceeds.

The FTC also alleges that, between 2009 and 2010, the defendants conducted fundraising campaigns for organizations with names related to fraternal orders of police (FOPs) and firefighters. The defendants receive most of the donations raised by these campaigns, and the organizations retain only 15 to 33 percent.

The Commission alleges that, in order to persuade donors to give money, the defendants made multiple false and misleading misrepresentations about the nature or purpose of the organizations for which the defendants requested donations, the way in which charitable contributions will be used, and the percentage or amount of any charitable contribution that will go to an organization. For example, the complaint alleges that the defendants falsely represented to donors that administrative costs are a “very minimal amount” and that contributions were used or would be used for safety-related officer training, bulletproof vests, or financial assistance to victims when, in fact, the organization for which the defendants were soliciting did not fund these activities, or used only an incidental amount of the contributions for such activities.

The FTC’s complaint also alleges that the defendants have repeatedly called numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry in their telemarketing campaigns. In calls made under the name Kids First, the FTC alleges, the defendants made more than five million calls to consumers whose numbers were on the Registry. The complaint further charges that, since June 2007, the defendants have made approximately nine million additional illegal telemarketing calls to phone numbers that are on the Do Not Call Registry to sell Feature Films for Families DVDs.

The FTC alleges that in another calling campaign in 2009, the defendants called consumers to urge them to buy tickets to see “The Velveteen Rabbit,” a film produced by Baker and released in theaters before going to DVD. The FTC complaint alleges that the defendants’ telemarketers made no effort to avoid calling consumers on the Do Not Call Registry. During this two-week campaign, the defendants called more than two-and-a-half-million consumers whose numbers were on the Do Not Call Registry.

In addition, the complaint charges that the defendants violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule by:

calling consumers who have previously asked that the defendants stop calling them;
failing to provide the name of the telemarketer or seller making the call to Caller ID devices and, instead, providing names such as “CUSTOMER SVC,” “FAMILY VALUE CB” or “VELVETEEN”;
failing to orally identify the seller, the purpose of the call, and the nature of the goods or services when making telemarketing calls; and
abandoning calls to consumers by failing to connect consumers to live representatives when they answer the phone. In many cases, such abandoned calls lead to the recipients listening to “dead air” when they answer the call.
The Commission vote referring the complaint to the Department of Justice was 5-0. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District for the Northern District of Florida. It names as defendants Feature Films for Families, Inc.; Corporations for Character, L.C.; Family Films of Utah, Inc.; and Forrest Sandusky Baker III, individually and as an owner and principal of Feature Films for Families, Inc., Corporations for Character, L.C., and Family Films of Utah, Inc.

The complaint, filed by the Department of Justice at the request of the FTC, seeks a court order to permanently bar the defendants from violating the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule, as well as civil penalties, and disgorgement of their ill-gotten gains.

NOTE: The Commission approves a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendant has actually violated the law. The case will be decided by the court.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call
1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. “Like” the FTC on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mitchell J. Katz,
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2161
STAFF CONTACT:
Michael Tankersley,
Bureau of Consumer Protection
202-326-2991
(FTC File No. 1023023; Civ. No. 11-197)
(Feature Films.final.wpd)

And here is the case link
http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/1023023/110506featurefilmscmpt.pdf

@Shannon you are absolutely right!!!!


I've been saying this for years. I discovered this some years ago when I did homework and research as I considered buying into a franchise and was astounded to see that there is a franchise for thrift stores. The business model is set up that if they hire people who are unemployed, unemployable or disabled or special needs to do some aspect of the work or if a percentage of the profits are donated that it is then considered a for profit business with connected non-profit organization, so there is a special way to set it up.

I couldn't believe it and from then would warn people who donate their perfectly good stuff to organizations that frame themselves in such a charitable way. Now I sell my stuff on Craigslist or give it to a church or organization of my choice, I don't fall into the trap.

It is true...a very thin line between a scam and a legitimate scam LOL

they call every single day.. its so annoying. I believe they are asking for donations, but i'm not sure.. to tell u the truth, i would never donate to people who calls me everyday and nag

the one time i picked up they hung up without speaking.  since then they have been calling regularly, often multiple times a day.  today they called at 8:15am. not cool.

One of the surest signs of a scam is elaborate fake positive posts trying desperately to counteract the truth about the scam.

I received several calls and after several months simply called the # this morning (and s/w someone named 'Johneen') and gave my name & number to be removed from their calling list....We'll see how that goes. I wish them all the best but do not agree with their marketing tactics.

These people can't be legit. Calls are constant and begin at 8:15 am. The same guy that is involved with Nspire appears to be involved here (Gregg Kennard). There is no way to contact them that works on their web site (except by phone). I have received these calls mostly with a caller ID of Hope House but I also get these calls with a caller ID of Nspire. The sheer volume of calls makes this harrassment and undercuts any legitimate activity that may be going on there. Maybe someone should report them to 11 Alive for their "tough questions" segment? Bet that would be interesting!

Well I just looked this number up because they call and hang up. How legitimate is that?

Just read the poster above me. Yeah Nspire harrasses me to.

How about you give us a number we can call to speak to someone if we have any concerns? I imagine a legitimate charity would be able to do so.

I am getting calls from this number on my office and cell phone and I am getting tired of it.  Why doesn't the no call list work?

I have gotten 7 calls from this number and I am getting really tired of it.

I emailed the contact listing on www.hopehouseatl.org and asked to be removed from the call list, and then received a confirmation that my number would be removed; the reply came from assist@nspireoutreach.org so this confirms another poster's comments above that NSpire is associated with House of Hope in Lawrenceville (?)