90%the most a sham-charity telefunding operation kept of what it raised
In a 2020 FTC case, as much as 90% of the money raised for sham veterans, police and breast cancer charities went to the telemarketers, and in some cases less than 2% went to charitable purposes.
The FTC and four states permanently banned the defendants from all charity fundraising, including for political action committees. Hiring a paid fundraiser is legal; the abuse is a shell charity that mainly lends its name to one that keeps nearly everything.
Source: US Federal Trade Commission. Read more: charity and disaster · case file