Jeff.OToole
01-30-2010, 04:23 PM
I would like to start this letter by thanking Campaign for Liberty for the many accomplishments this organization has achieved in its short history. Membership has grown exponentially, visibility has increased, and groundbreaking legislation like Audit the Fed has been advanced. This organization has truly mobilized a large number of Patriots across this country and I thank them for it. I have no doubt that with this rapid growth it has been difficult to prioritize a list of seemingly endless objectives and there is one key objective that I feel has been regrettably overlooked – transparency.
Last week I read from multiple sources that Campaign for Liberty had funded $350,000 to political candidate Ken Buck of Colorado. As a member of this organization I was so concerned about this allegation that I called Director of Development Steve Bierfeldt to bring this situation to his attention. People on multiple forums were threatening to cancel their memberships and quit donating to CFL and I wanted to make him aware of the potential negative impact to his future development efforts.
I had a very productive conversation with Mr. Bierfeldt and during the discussion he let me know that CFL was aware of the issue and had a person assigned to directly deal with this situation. He let me know that the payment was for advertising the completion of a survey and not a campaign contribution (although still a very thin line in my opinion). I asked why there had not been any response from CFL and he assured me that transparency was of utmost priority to the organization and someone would be addressing the issue publicly in the near future. I will await this statement.
While talking to Mr. Bierfeldt I felt this was the perfect opportunity to discuss other concerns related to transparency that I have had with CFL for quite some time. I wanted to know why Campaign for Liberty has yet to file an IRS required From 990 that I could access to give me required information about the organizational and financial structure of the 501c4. He let me know that CFL is working on this filing and will have this available on Guidestar in the future. I then asked as a donor where I could find financial statements that break down how much revenue has been allocated to set programs and initiatives or an expense report that shows specifically how my donations are being used. Mr. Bierfeldt let me know that Campaign for Liberty is working on providing these reports but has been slow to release them to be sure everything is 100% accurate. While I appreciate the accuracy of these reports I would hope their release be higher on the priority list.
I find it unacceptable that an organization with 250,000 members and a hierarchy of leadership including a President, Senior Vice President, Vice President of Programs, Director of Development, Director of Marketing, Director of Outreach, and Director of Operations is unable to provide me a breakdown of where fundraising revenue given to this organization is being allocated or spent. Furthermore the lack of a written and publicly available strategic plan outlining the goals and objectives of this organization is intolerable as a supporter.
Campaign for Liberty is a nonprofit organization funded by myself and the other members of this community, and as such, I am holding all future financial support until the requested information is provided. What is clear from my conversation with Mr. Bierfeldt is that Campaign for Liberty paid $350,000 for advertising the completion of a survey. However, what I do not know is why the National Directors felt this was a good investment of what they acknowledge are very limited resources. Canceling my membership will not answer this question, demanding the resignation of those involved will not fix the problem either, only transparency will help us as a community understand the direction of this organization and determine whether or not to fund future Campaign for Liberty initiatives.
It is up to those of us who are members of Campaign for Liberty to demand accountability and transparency of our organization. If you are a member of CFL and agree to put on hold all future financial support until this information is provided please reply to this post simply with SIGNED.
I look forward to seeing the requested information provided and continuing my support of Campaign for Liberty in the future.
Sincerely,
Jeff O’Toole
Last week I read from multiple sources that Campaign for Liberty had funded $350,000 to political candidate Ken Buck of Colorado. As a member of this organization I was so concerned about this allegation that I called Director of Development Steve Bierfeldt to bring this situation to his attention. People on multiple forums were threatening to cancel their memberships and quit donating to CFL and I wanted to make him aware of the potential negative impact to his future development efforts.
I had a very productive conversation with Mr. Bierfeldt and during the discussion he let me know that CFL was aware of the issue and had a person assigned to directly deal with this situation. He let me know that the payment was for advertising the completion of a survey and not a campaign contribution (although still a very thin line in my opinion). I asked why there had not been any response from CFL and he assured me that transparency was of utmost priority to the organization and someone would be addressing the issue publicly in the near future. I will await this statement.
While talking to Mr. Bierfeldt I felt this was the perfect opportunity to discuss other concerns related to transparency that I have had with CFL for quite some time. I wanted to know why Campaign for Liberty has yet to file an IRS required From 990 that I could access to give me required information about the organizational and financial structure of the 501c4. He let me know that CFL is working on this filing and will have this available on Guidestar in the future. I then asked as a donor where I could find financial statements that break down how much revenue has been allocated to set programs and initiatives or an expense report that shows specifically how my donations are being used. Mr. Bierfeldt let me know that Campaign for Liberty is working on providing these reports but has been slow to release them to be sure everything is 100% accurate. While I appreciate the accuracy of these reports I would hope their release be higher on the priority list.
I find it unacceptable that an organization with 250,000 members and a hierarchy of leadership including a President, Senior Vice President, Vice President of Programs, Director of Development, Director of Marketing, Director of Outreach, and Director of Operations is unable to provide me a breakdown of where fundraising revenue given to this organization is being allocated or spent. Furthermore the lack of a written and publicly available strategic plan outlining the goals and objectives of this organization is intolerable as a supporter.
Campaign for Liberty is a nonprofit organization funded by myself and the other members of this community, and as such, I am holding all future financial support until the requested information is provided. What is clear from my conversation with Mr. Bierfeldt is that Campaign for Liberty paid $350,000 for advertising the completion of a survey. However, what I do not know is why the National Directors felt this was a good investment of what they acknowledge are very limited resources. Canceling my membership will not answer this question, demanding the resignation of those involved will not fix the problem either, only transparency will help us as a community understand the direction of this organization and determine whether or not to fund future Campaign for Liberty initiatives.
It is up to those of us who are members of Campaign for Liberty to demand accountability and transparency of our organization. If you are a member of CFL and agree to put on hold all future financial support until this information is provided please reply to this post simply with SIGNED.
I look forward to seeing the requested information provided and continuing my support of Campaign for Liberty in the future.
Sincerely,
Jeff O’Toole