Charities which do not used

paid solicitors are not required to file a report with the Secretary of

State. Other organizations are exempt, including religious exemptions,

nonprofit educational institutions and their affiliated organizations.

Topping the list is the Heritage

Foundation, which retained just $34,545 from a campaign that grossed over

$713,000.

The second-worst numbers were

from the Catholic Medical Mission Board, Inc., which kept just $9,005

from a drive that grossed $149,000.

In third place was Southeastern

Paralyzed Veterans Association, Inc., which kept just $20,000 from a campaign

that grossed over $294,000.

Other charities with high fundraising

costs included:

The National Association of

Police Athletic Leagues, Inc., which kept just $436,000 from a $4.4 million

campaign.

The Committee for Missing Children,

Inc., which retained just $60,806 from a $608,000 campaign.

The American Association of

University Women, Inc., which kept just $20,894 from a campaign raising

$185,023.

The Georgia Junior Chamber

of Commerce, Inc., which kept just $23,197 from a campaign that raised

$190,000.

The Vietnam Veterans Foundation

of Georgia, Inc. which kept just $18,239 of a campaign that grossed $148,000

in revenues.

The Little Heroes Foundation,

which kept just 450,683 of a campaign that raised $359,371.

The Georgia State Lodge Fraternal

Order of Police, Inc., which kept $335,385 of a campaign that raised $2.47

million.

The Professional Fire Fighters

of Georgia, which kept $18,770 from a campaign that grossed $125,000.

Information on all 2,320 registered

charitable organizations in Georgia is available online at www.sos.state.ga.us/securities/charitysearch.htm.

The five charities with the

lowest amount of fundraising expense percentages were Groundspring.org,

the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the American Red Cross, the Defenders

of Wildlife and the Jewish Federation for Greater Atlanta. Each of those

organizations pocketed 90 percent or more of the funds raised in their

fundraising campaigns.