Rick’s Profession:
Helping Small Charities Raise Funds They Would Not Otherwise have Access To
Zeitlin is the founder and President of multiple business entities that for many years performed professional fundraising services for charities and non-profit advocacy organizations. Zeitlin’s companies would conduct community outreach on behalf of many charities over a broad spectrum of causes including law enforcement, veterans, children’s health and welfare and other health-related causes. Zeitlin typically received a compensation of 80-90% on his telemarketing and fundraising efforts for these charities. It should be noted that his compensation level was always recorded as required with the various relevant state agencies for complete and total transparency. While this percentage of compensation may seem high, it is actually standard for the industry and reflects what is needed to offset the substantial costs of constantly evolving telephone technology, intensive and time-consuming labor, and the high overhead all businesses need to successfully telemarket and help charities reach their goals. Contrary to what some less informed detractors claim, Rick’s compensation levels of 80-90% relate to gross revenue, not profit.
Importantly, as upheld by rulings of the US Supreme Court, there are no federal or state guidelines or restrictions on how much professional fundraisers can charge for their work. Such decisions are strictly between the professional fundraiser and the charity he or she represents.
Importantly as well, overwhelmingly, Rick’s clients are happy with his work because he meets or exceeds their expectations and helps them advance their missions by raising funds they would not have access to any other way. His client longevity rate is among the highest in the industry.
Like most hard working, self-made Americans, Rick Zeitlin has never been in any sort of legal trouble. Indisputably, his companies have always complied with relevant financial reporting guidelines. As will be made clear throughout this website, and as Rick fights back against an overly aggressive federal government, Zeitlin credibly believes that he is being targeted for political reasons by an overzealous federal government seeking to justify its “value” by harassing and intimidating successful small businessmen whose work does not conform to big government’s own self-proclaimed high ideals.
These government and agency actions have been aided by increasingly hostile and sensationalist media coverage. The Tampa Bay Times and Politico and the Daily Beast are among those who have sought to vilify Rick (and others in his field) through highly inaccurate articles that badly distort the facts. Such shoddy and intentionally misleading reporting sets the standard for others in government and in the media seeking to advance their own agendas by vilifying an honest, self-made businessman.