Imus Ranch Violates Charity Oversight Standards

The board consists of Don Imus, his wife, and principals in a company that the ranch pays for management services.  The ranch currently sits on $6 million cash—with not a single independent director. 

We saw in the case of Jack Abramoff the power that charities have in generating public sympathy for public figures accused of wrongdoing.  The same process is now going on with Don Imus, and I think the blog Don't Tell the Donor is correct that the delay in Mr. Imus' suspension is due to his charity radiothon.

One of the key pieces of the Imus charity program is the Imus Ranch (EIN 13-3997308 Form 990), Mr. Imus' summer home in Ribera, New Mexico, about an hour southeast of Santa Fe.  It's organized as a charity because while he's at the ranch he and his wife Diedre host ten kids a week (about ninety a year) from ages 11 to 16 who have had cancer or blood disorders or who have lost a sibling to sudden infant death syndrome.   

According to a Wall Street Journal story in 2005 (by Robert Frank, but behind subscriber walls), Mr. Imus' wanted a ranch, his wife wanted to start a charity for kids, and they were inspired to combine the two by the example of Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Fund (EIN 06-1157655 Form 990), a camp in Connecticut that serves 1,000 kids a year. 

The Journal article focused on the huge cost of the ranch on a per-kid basis, which amplified on a 2003 article in the Albuquerque Journal (Sick Kids' Ranch Has Hefty Costs, Thomas J. Cole).  The ranch buildings cost over $20 million and include a studio from which Mr. Imus broadcasts during his stays at the ranch.  The San Miguel county assessor decided that the property was entitled only to a 55% property tax exemption because of the non-charitable uses (Mr. Imus' studio and the fact that the kids are only there during the summer.  Then New York attorney general Elliott Spitzer started an inquiry into the ranch, but dropped it (Mr. Imus endoresed Mr. Spitzer's run for governor in 2006.)

The Form 990 shows an operation currently is holding in excess of $6 million in cash.  The stated purpose for this is to build up an endowment so that the ranch can be run on the proceeds. 

But even more noteworthy is the board of the organization, which consists only of the Imuses and the two representatives of financial manager of the ranch, whose firm receives $12,000 a year for services.

The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance includes in its standards for charitable accountability a requirement that a charity board have at least five members (and by comparison, Hole in the Wall Gang Fund has twenty-eight), that no more than 10% of board members be directly or indirectly compensated by the organization (here 50% are), and that neither the chair nor treasurer be compensated (here, the books are in the care of the management company whose members sit on the board).   

The standards also call for no material conflicting interests with the charity resulting from any relationship or business affiliation.  In this case, the fact that the ranch combines charitable and non-charitable activities seems to me to be enough of a conflict in itself to call into question the ethics of having the Imuses on the board.  The Albuquerque Journal article also points out that Imuses privately own about a fifth of the ranch property (637 acres out of about 3,000), creating another area of conflicting interest. 

Aside from the serious ethical questions, there's the peculiar nature of the program.  An article that appeared in American Profile in 2005 (by Beverly Keel)—along with a Q&A sidebar—to me raises even more questions about the benefit of giving kids a week with Don Imus. 

• The nature of the work on the ranch precludes participation of all but the highest functioning kids.  In other words, really sick kids are excluded.
• At Mrs. Imus' insistence, all food served at the ranch is vegan.  Not all the kids like it, but they aren't given any choice in the matter. 
• Even this sympathetic reporter acknowledges that Mr. Imus: "doesn’t become a warm, fluffy man when working with the kids. He can be gruff and stern and even curse on occasion, but he’s often the first person to give a compliment or word of encouragement."  One 12 year old girl is quoted: "Mr. Imus can scare me sometimes. Other than kind of yelling at us, he’s really nice."
• In the final assessment, the article acknowledges that something like 20% of the kids have an unpleasant experience. 

The frequent references like "it's about hard work," "tough love," "This isn't Camp Happy Face," "These aren’t dude-ranch horses," give me the impression that it's definitely not kid-centered—the kids experience might even be interpreted as abusive.  We probably should be grateful that only about 80 kids a year are exposed to it. 

My overall impression is that the Imus Ranch is more of a vanity project than a charity project.  Under any reasonable degree of scrutiny the Imuses would have to open up the board to independent viewpoints and put together a program that actually serves these vulnerable kids rather than the founder's fantasies.  But Mr. Imus' power as a media figure precludes such scrutiny. 

Comments

[fred]

Wait...I have a better idea...go fuck yourself with a rake you idiot...where the hell did you learn to write, the perky sputnum katie couric school of ratings abortion? No talent idiot.

[Deb]

This article is full of accusations and innuendo but lacks any substance.

Did you EVER see how tired and sick Don Imus was himself while he was working at that ranch? Is that what you call his summer vacation?????

* I miss you and love you I-Man, may God bless and protect you always.

[channelXRFR]

The premise of the Blog is the "Imus Ranch Violates Charity Oversight Standards". The word "Violates" implies Imus Ranch has failed to comply with a rule, law or regulatory requirement. Which is blatantly false indictment and not supported by the author.

Never known a charity to run a fundraiser without requesting, even requiring Board Members to "buy tables" or provide in kind contributions or to look for Board Members to fund raise at a predetermined level!

Also, have never known a charity to not have a "dominant clique" (good ole boy closed group) within its board!

I might have been born yesterday, sir, but I stayed up all night!

ChanX

[Jesse]

Welcome Back I-Man.

[wanda simmons]

The Imus's give so much to children. I wish we had more families willing to do what they have done for our children. They give from the heart, and share their home and ranch to help enlighten childrens lives with their warmth and loving natures. Open your eyes people and see the true goodness of this family.

[booboo's mom]

My daughter is one of those kids that is hoping to go to the Imus Ranch this year. This "expose" made me sick in the horribly biased way the info was presented. It may point out concerns in the financial handling of a large cost program using non-profit status, but I can tell you that my daughter will be one of the 80% that love it. She was too sick to go two years ago, too weak to go last year, but now she is strong enough to go, work hard, have fun, and be safe. Cancer impacts a hell of alot more on a child's life than their body. This ranch helps to restore their spirit when their bodies are ready for the demands. Liability is huge for these kids - most people would not even consider taking the chance to help in any way. Would you like to tell my daughter that she can't go after all since the Imus Ranch got shut down for violating a financial rule? Let the lawyers and accountants hash that stuff out - leave the PROGRAM alone!
Oh. I almost forgot. Poll a middle class sample of 8 to 16 yr old kids on what they're having for dinner tonite. See if they all like it. Ha.

[MJM]

Sounds like a typical Liberal view...

Afraid someone may get something you can't have...

God Bless Don and Deidre Imus

Don't you have a Polar bear to save??

[Cantinnarie]

This is straight to the point! In other words, and do not say! :)
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i love the imus family god bless you and may you have a long life

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[R J Mills Sr]

BOZO, you are just too stupid for words. IMUS was cleared of any miss appropriations of funds, These folks have a niche for sick children and adolescents that few if any charities care to work to teach them that they can cope with their troubles. They can be people not lumped as that cancer kid! Life of 80% changed for the better, life is living and being not being pitied or over protected and while the diet may not be to every ones liking; it is healthy.

[Steve M.]

...."the kids experience might even be interpreted as abusive."......Actually, reading this so called 'article' could be considered abusive to anyone possessing more than six working brain cells.......Clueless drivel...

[maria concilio]

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/a-doctor-goes-to-cancer-camp/

Imus and Diedre Imus are committed to the environment and for helping kids with cancer feel like they are just like everyone else during their stay at the ranch.

I have nothing but great admiration for this couple. Imus knows that being tough will get you out of many situations. He grew up on a cattle ranch and wants to replicate in part this message to the kids.
I wish he would make a ranch for kids that do not have to battle this disease as well. I would sign mine up in a heart beat!

In the meantime, they have all my respect and support. Your article is petty and mean.

[Patti Barrett]

Sir, you are a Jackass. When I see you begin a charity like the Imus charity I promise to personally pick you apart. Until then put thy head under thy wing and pray for forgiveness. And, I am not a regligeous person, but you need a kick in the ass. From Colorado, a Palin Momma Grizzley.

[Steve M.]

"We probably should be grateful that only about 80 kids a year are exposed to it."........No, we should be grateful that clueless biased losers, with blogs that no one pays any attention to, aren't going to derail the good people like Don Imus from running a great place..

[thomas sabo charm carriers]

I haven't been up to much lately. So it goes. What can I say? I've just been letting everything wash over me recently, not that it matters. I just don't have much to say these days.

[Sam Katz]

I don’t know what is more fascinating -- this charity blog’s assessment of the Imus Ranch or the Comments section that follows. It seems Don’s listeners and fans have absorbed his sense of entitlement and his uncontrollable bullying impulses through over-exposure to his radio waves. I don’t know if this is a “first in media” phenomenon or whether this dates back to the days when Orson Welles so mesmerized his listeners that some of them leapt to their deaths during his broadcast of “War of the Worlds.”

But, if I were checking this site to decide whether or not I would donate to the Imus Ranch or send my child there, I might hesitate, based alone on the comments left by the obscene, aggressive, and downright scary fans who sound as if they all just stepped out of a Mafia social club rather than a summer facility for ill children. No one posting here seems at all concerned with either the very valid points the writer has brought to light or how their vicious and illogical demeanor(s) might scare away an impartial, potential donor.

It really doesn’t matter how much the Ranch cost if it’s not your money; nor do the motivations of the founders matter very much, either. The question still remains as to what Imus’ broadcasting facility has to do with the camp, unless, of course, Don wants to start teaching the visiting kids something about radio, which would be a wonderful concept to develop. It could open up a whole new world to these children to allow them to explore what it is like to be on-air, to interview each other about whatever topics they like (including their illnesses or just their time at the ranch), or to spin records like the disk jockey Imus once was, or read aloud, or write and perform plays or skits, or any of the myriad ways radio was and is utilized and enjoyed in our society. If Don were not so anti-social, he might find some colleagues who could overcome both the New Mexico altitude and his rotten attitude and turn the Ranch into something more productive than a place to dig manure out of the hoof of a pony. He might actually impart something of real value, like the talent he was naturally gifted with; after all, he is in the Broadcasting -- not the Rodeo -- Hall of Fame.

Imus once told me that, “whatever you deserve is what you get.” I guess that means that he deserves his celebrity and his fortune, but that he also deserves the scrutiny of his motives and his finances. Unfortunately, it also means that at one time he truly believed that these ill children deserved the lousy hand that God netted out to them. That is not and has never been a charitable way of looking at life, but that is who Imus was and will always be to many of us who got too close to his fire and were not afforded the delusional comfort level of those posting here. Well, what they don’t know won’t hurt them and forgive them, they know not what they do.

But for the rest of you, think twice when it comes to financing the canonization of the Imuses. There are many non-profits and cancer facilities, including dozens of cancer camps, in America, founded by people with much less power and money. And they, too, deserve your time and attention. And whether a man with four Marconi Awards, a huge waterfront estate in Connecticut, a penthouse on Central Park West, and an insult and insouciance for everyone and everything deserves your hard-earned donation … well, that’s something to think very carefully about.

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