Mothers Against Drunk Driving Falls to One Star Charity

Costly Fundraising Practices and Lack of Attention to Victim Services Earn MADD Low Grade

WASHINGTON – Charity Navigator, a nonprofit watchdog organization, has given Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) a one out of four star rating in its annual report published this week, indicating the group “fails to meet industry standards and performs well below most charities in its Cause.” MADD fell from two stars in 2010 to one star based on its 2011 financial and program records.

“Instead of focusing on victim services and educating Americans about the dangers of drunk driving, the organization continues to push for anti-alcohol policies,” said American Beverage Institute (ABI) Managing Director Sarah Longwell. “The MADD originally founded to weed out hard core drunk driving no longer exists. With drunk driving fatalities at historic lows, the group has turned its attention to moderate, social drinkers.”

MADD’s shift in messaging has mirrored its declining financial efficiency—in 2001, Charity Navigator gave MADD four stars. Since 2003, however, the advocacy organization hasn’t earned more than two stars.  Other charity watchdogs, like the American Institute for Philanthropy’s (AIP) Charity Rating Guide, have consistently rated the organization poorly for its fundraising and spending practices.

According to Charity Navigator’s examination of MADD’s federal 990 tax forms, the organization spends nearly 30 percent of its budget on fundraising expenses. The AIP says most highly efficient charities are able to spend 75 percent or more of total expenses on charitable programs. Meanwhile, only 61.4 percent of MADD’s expenditures go to programs.

MADD’s mission has steered far off course. In recent years the organization or its leaders have created campaignslinking consumption of alcohol to heroin use, slammed the president for his “beer summit,” and opposed laws allowing happy hours. Instead of advocating for laws targeting the hardcore drunk drivers who cause over 70 percent of drunk driving deaths, MADD hopes to prevent every driver from consuming even a small amount of alcohol before driving.

Longwell concluded: “MADD’s anti-alcohol agenda includes advocating for alcohol detectors in all cars, sobriety checkpoints and sky-high alcohol taxes. By focusing money on these new priorities, MADD has diverted money away from programs created to help the victims of drunk driving and get dangerous drunk drivers off the roads.”