(Editor’s note: After the distribution of FireAid funds has made local and national news click here, Mickie Faris has penned a thoughtful response/solution.)
I have expressed concerns about FireAid and how the $75 million of the $100 million raised was spent. I spent my entire professional career in the nonprofit sector working at small and medium community-based organizations as well as major universities and hospitals. I also taught fundraising and nonprofit management at UCLA Extension for eight years.
I believe it is important to keep the focus on the primary issue of demonstrating that the $75 million already distributed to hundreds of nonprofit organizations benefitted wildfire victims. This reporting needs to be quantified, with the number of individual victims served, amount per victim and total dollars spent.
I don’t take issue with the Annenberg Foundation, a wonderful grantmaking institution that has done incredible work in our local communities. Nor do I take issue with any of the nonprofit organizations that received FireAid funding. The ones that I am aware of do extraordinary work in our communities.
Of course, the performers who donated their time at the concerts should be commended as should the Clippers organization and their owners. And all of the donors should be applauded as they believed they were helping wildfire victims desperately in need of financial support.
I do take issue with how the concert and related fundraising activities were promoted. The wording specifically stated it was to help wildfire victims. The concert performers also announced repeatedly that all funds would go directly to the victims.
We are now being told by FireAid representatives and designated spokespeople that they never intended to give money directly to the victims. This in my opinion is at the heart of the problem.
If in fact there was never an intention to give money to the victims, greater thought should have been given to how the concerts and related fundraising programs were promoted. It is the responsibility of any nonprofit charitable organization to be transparent in how monies will be spent when encouraging designated giving or donating for a specific purpose. If you state that the money is going to the victims, it needs to go to the victims. If you state that the money is going to nonprofit organizations that may have some representation in the affected communities, you need to make this clear.
The American Red Cross had similar issues many years ago and after the California Attorney General’s Office got involved, it changed its messaging and became totally transparent. It should be said that the American Red Cross did a phenomenal job helping victims of the January wildfires.
It is not too late to make this right. Perhaps the Annenberg Foundation/FireAid and its advisors will see the wisdom of donating $100 million to the American Red Cross so they may help the victims directly. This is what FireAid stated as the purpose of their fundraising and are now reporting it was never their intent. At least the American Red Cross knows how to expeditiously get badly needed funds to the still suffering victims.
Mickie Faris
Victim of the Palisades Wildfire and a former employee of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the American Red Cross.
I attended the concert at the Rose Bowl and it was told to me that the money would all go to the fire victims…not to non profits. I lost my home in the Palisades fire and also my business. My office was in the Palisades for over 20 years and I was a therapist there.I was so disappointed not to receive any of that money because I did not really want to attend as I was staying in Carlsbad and drove up to Pasadena, even though I am 79 years old and it was a difficult drive. Fema did not come through for me. I did get some money from the Red Cross, but not enough to do much. The toxins were still in the air from the Eaton fires and it was difficult to sit through the performance. And I was so disappointed to hear that we are not getting any help. Joy Moeller 310-429-9196 joyleamoeller@aol.com
One thing I saw, time after time, over nearly four decades while running a technology business that primarily sold to businesses (including at least one that received Fireaid money), was that non-profits and government agencies consistently make very wasteful and extravagant operational purchasing decisions. Decisions that for-profit businesses would never make. To hand money to these organizations just fills the feeding trough.
While the Samaritan’s Purse organization seemed to be helping so many people, the only organizations that seemed to be helping victims with expenses were the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. If they used Fireaid funds, it would be good to know. They were receiving donations from many other organizations.
Whatever happened to the $75 Million that FireAid offered Steve Soberoff when he was initially appointed Fire Czar for the Palisades? Why did he let that money go??? We could have rebuilt churches and schools with that money. I would love to see an investigation going back to Soboroff’s term and why the money was initially offered to us but then left to float away……
The fireaide funds should have been given to the city to pay all permit fees of houses being rebuilt. It is estimated that $80 million would cover the building fees for rebuilding palisades properties lost in the conflagration.
Hello, I am the founder of the original Fire Aid organization. It was founded and organized out of the Butte fire, in and around the Calaveras County area of California in 2015.
During early relief efforts of the LA wildfires we received a call from a lady who claimed to be working with the Azoff family (Irving Azoff – OVG founder and executive director of concert efforts for Fire Aid LA), asking to use the name Fire Aid for the Southern California relief efforts regarding the wildfires in LA at the beginning of this year. Of course I openly gave my blessing, without a second thought. All I asked was some form of a solution to decipher the difference between Northern California and Southern California Fire Aid efforts. It is my guess that is why “Fire Aid LA” was created.
We decided to move forward and conduct a music tour based on regional talent, a series of concerts throughout Northern California to benefit and support the victims of the LA wildfires. My team carefully vetted numerous non-profit organizations to receive the funds. I personally called and spoke with almost two dozen organizations. Most individuals do not realize the arduous journey in not only raising funds but distributing them fairly in situations like this. The two organizations that we found to be the most supportive and, most importantly, well organized were Samaritan’s Purse and Musicares. The funds we are raising will go to both of those organizations as we see fit. Although our numbers are nothing compared to those raised in Los Angeles, we would hope at some point we could have combined our efforts and produce larger shows throughout the northern region of California.
When an organization like the Azoff family takes the time to organize and coordinate such a huge effort to raise funds you must take them very seriously in those efforts. It is nice to know there are still good people in the world willing to help others. For me, it validates those efforts, but most importantly when we choose to support those in need whether it’s an individual, a small organization or a major entertainment conglomerate, the process should all move in the direction of a positive effort with a strong solution for success. When an organization achieves success at the level that was accomplished in the Los Angeles concerts, which I have been told were well over a hundred million dollars, one would hope the powers that be would have figured out a fair and equitable path for monies to be distributed once it was raised.
All I know is, that is how it’s done, working on many large-scale benefits since my time with the Bill Graham Presents organization, that’s how we did it. If I were a Billie Eilish, a Lady Gaga or Stevie Wonder I would want to know that my efforts, my name and likeness on a stage attracting millions of my fans to help raise funds for such an important major effort would have some type of a plan to execute not just the successful event but how to distribute funds raised for the purpose in question.
My suggestion to any and all organizations involved would be to narrow down the collection of nonprofits on their list and select those that are directly funding or supporting the victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. Then maybe reset the criteria for distribution of those funds and based on your newly generated list of nonprofits, prioritize the monies distributed to those in need first and foremost based on your new set of criteria.
It has been extremely heartwarming to see the amount of local musical talent and businesses in the Northern California and Central Valley region willing to open up their hearts and their guitar cases to support our initiative. How likely are we to continue our efforts will be determined by the outcome of our Southern California Fire Aid neighbors. Even though we might be unrelated organizations, Northern California Fire Aid, is still affected due to the shared brand. We hope Fire Aid LA might resolve the situation sooner than later. Hopefully there will be a positive outcome as opposed to avoiding it all together hoping that the public and media will ignore its outcome. The final direction of their situation will play a role in how we move forward as a much smaller organization.
We hope we can continue to support our neighbors in Los Angeles who have been affected by the horrible wildfires.
Either way, the dilemma throughout Southern California will not be fixed anytime soon, it will take years to rebuild their neighborhoods, families and businesses. We hope we can continue the support.
Sincerely
Nolan Apostle
Event City™
Fire Aid™
Eventcity.net
Totally agree that the American Red Cross did a great job in getting funds to those who were affected by the fires and should be given additional funds to pass on to individuals. They understood the mission and directly helped individuals.
“If in fact there was never an intention to give money to the victims, greater thought should have been given to how the concerts and related fundraising programs were promoted.”
Yes, it was all simply a “misunderstanding” (insert eye roll emoji here). It amazes me that you all continue to be so weak and gullible.
“Greater thought” should be given to the fact that all of you in California continue to elect the same corrupt, self dealing, ineffective, arrogant assholes who only care about acquiring power and money while they shower their cronies with money, and continue their virtue signaling sideshow. Wake up California you have been played by these assholes for DECADES.
We should refer this situation as DONORAID==to victims of FIREAID. The money should have gone to 1 site that has little to no administrative fees. The money could have be held till distributed to fire victims and firefighters in need. Not to NGO and NFP organizations. Main stream media was very HUSH+HUSH about this. Only independent news brought this to the PUBLIC attention= And hopefully will continue. I almost donated but have been burned BEFORE
Nolan,
Thank you–the problem is that the concert was advertised as all funds would go directly to fire victims, which it hasn’t.
Sue