Taking Up the Cause of High Fees

The New York State Fraternal Order of Police raised just $300,000 before signing with CDG in 1994. But since then, CDG has raised more than $25 million in the group's name. The FOP's share has been more than $7.3 million -- enough to support salaries for the group's officers, scholarships and contributions to other police groups.

CDG, however, has had its share of problems. It paid a $125,000 fine to New Jersey regulators in 1999 after authorities alleged that it made false claims that it was raising money for local police. State officials said that of the $8.6 million raised for the State Law Enforcement Officers Assn. over six years, "almost nothing" went to law enforcement officers.

CDG nearly had conflicts with charity regulators after last year's terrorist attacks. On the morning of Sept. 14, 2001, CDG readied a special script for the FOP that spoke of an "emergency relief fund" set up to "assist the families of the police officers who gave their lives in the World Trade Center disaster."

The campaign was pulled in minutes, after New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani warned consumers against Sept. 11-related telemarketing and threatened telemarketers with arrest.