Saturday’s article, “Taking a look at local charities during the season of giving,” began a series on looking into how charities spend donated dollars. The Gift Giver’s Guide, as previously reported, presents a snapshot tool to begin looking at a charity’s legitimacy. It is available at www.freshfromflorida.com. Click first on Divisions & Offices, then Consumer Services, then Consumer Resources on the left side of the screen, and finally click Gift Giver’s Guide.
Amy Topol, Assistant Director of the Division of Consumer Services with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the department overseeing nonprofits in Florida, said the best charities for donations are established organizations with roots, and those a donor knows personally.
Walter Schumann, known as Captain Whitebeard, is the current president of the Blackwater Pyrates. While the Pyrates are a charitable organization, Schumann said they are not technically a nonprofit organization.
Schumann said the Pyrates, over the years, have had the discussion multiple times on whether or not to register with the government as a nonprofit organization. “It’s easier to keep control as a class C corporation. It fits better. We have more control; our hands are not tied for what we can do,” Schumann said.
However, Schumann said the corporation operates as a public service, and support. “We do pay taxes. Every year, we hire an accountant and pay legal fees. We’re a profit corporation but we show a zero profit for the year. Anything made on the duck race goes back into the county.” he said. Schumann and the other Pyrates often point out the Great Milltown Duck Race is the only fundraiser the Pyrates hold every year. As an example of the Pyrates’ spending, Schumann said $1,000 went to this year’s Ghost Walk performance, which included a script, lighting, and pre-recorded music. The Pyrates also regularly spend money on grants to college students in archeology. Everything the Pyrates do, Schumann said, must meet their mission statement of “serving the community through river cleanups, boater safety, and maritime preservation.”
Schumann said the Pyrates do have a board of directors and the organization is covered by insurance. However, he said discussions of going nonprofit regularly come up with the concern over liability. Schumann said during the second day of the Ghost Walk performance, they decided to let a few children take part. He said nonprofits do have more protection for liability issues. So in true pirate fashion, the Blackwater Pyrates continue operating outside of standard procedure, but with the goal in mind of serving the community in whatever way its citizens need.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Is your favorite charity legitimate?