I'm on vacation so it's weird that I am doing two blog entries in two days...Anyhoo!
On one of the blogs that I follow (Life after the death of a toddler) the bereaved mother wrote a blog entry about ordering something from a fellow bereaved mother's company.That was 8 months ago and she still hasn't received it. When she has politely inquired about it, the company's owner has ignored her,blocked and banned her from the Facebook page, and gotten other members of the page riled up about it as she seeks sympathy from the awful woman who just wants to know where her item is. (Read the entry here: http://mamajamajenny.blogspot.com/2013/06/i-am-mother-of-angel-stay-away-from.html )
I wasn't familiar with the page so I checked it out. I got a lot of red flags thrown up my way. We have a mutual friend and I consider that person a good judge of character and I, myself,have never had any dealings with that particular website. However, this is not the first time that I have run into someone who has had a negative experience with certain infant loss organizations and companies that have misrepresented themselves.
There are actually a few bad ones out there. I have had experience with some women who had early miscarriages (first trimester) who have then started companies as a means to profit off of other bereaved parents, using their own losses as a way to market their material. They have sold everything from tupperware to infant loss blankets in this manner.
I have also met what I can only describe as "professional bereaved parents" who use their loss in so many different ways that I couldn't begin to list them here.
Yes, I have a book coming out. As an ebook it will be free to those who helped me with it. To others, it will be 99 cents. I can assure you that after you consider my cost for marketing and everything else I will not be making a profit. If I managed to sell 500 copies I would only be in the hole -$50. This is by no means a money making venture.
Thanks to Facebook and other social media sites anyone can list themselves as an organization or business. There is nothing to police this or enforce policies that you would have to adhere to in the brick and mortar world.
If you join something that calls themselves an organization,non-profit organization, or business then you have the right to determine whether or not they are legitimate.
- Check to see if they are licensed as a business in their state or town
- Guidestar.org will show you their financial records if they are a legitimate non-profit
- Check the IRS to see if they have filed as a tax exemptorganization
- Ask the non-profit to provide you with a copy of their 990 returns
- If the organization is claiming to be non-profit then they must be filed either under a 501(c)(3) or a 501(c)(6) organization. There will be records of these.
If you are donating money to someone,please ensure that they have some credibility. Whether someone is a bereaved mother making keychains or a group with a board of directors, there are certain procedures that must be followed to keep the organization legal. This helps protect us as consumers.
On one of the blogs that I follow (Life after the death of a toddler) the bereaved mother wrote a blog entry about ordering something from a fellow bereaved mother's company.That was 8 months ago and she still hasn't received it. When she has politely inquired about it, the company's owner has ignored her,blocked and banned her from the Facebook page, and gotten other members of the page riled up about it as she seeks sympathy from the awful woman who just wants to know where her item is. (Read the entry here: http://mamajamajenny.blogspot.com/2013/06/i-am-mother-of-angel-stay-away-from.html )
I wasn't familiar with the page so I checked it out. I got a lot of red flags thrown up my way. We have a mutual friend and I consider that person a good judge of character and I, myself,have never had any dealings with that particular website. However, this is not the first time that I have run into someone who has had a negative experience with certain infant loss organizations and companies that have misrepresented themselves.
There are actually a few bad ones out there. I have had experience with some women who had early miscarriages (first trimester) who have then started companies as a means to profit off of other bereaved parents, using their own losses as a way to market their material. They have sold everything from tupperware to infant loss blankets in this manner.
I have also met what I can only describe as "professional bereaved parents" who use their loss in so many different ways that I couldn't begin to list them here.
Yes, I have a book coming out. As an ebook it will be free to those who helped me with it. To others, it will be 99 cents. I can assure you that after you consider my cost for marketing and everything else I will not be making a profit. If I managed to sell 500 copies I would only be in the hole -$50. This is by no means a money making venture.
Thanks to Facebook and other social media sites anyone can list themselves as an organization or business. There is nothing to police this or enforce policies that you would have to adhere to in the brick and mortar world.
If you join something that calls themselves an organization,non-profit organization, or business then you have the right to determine whether or not they are legitimate.
- Check to see if they are licensed as a business in their state or town
- Guidestar.org will show you their financial records if they are a legitimate non-profit
- Check the IRS to see if they have filed as a tax exemptorganization
- Ask the non-profit to provide you with a copy of their 990 returns
- If the organization is claiming to be non-profit then they must be filed either under a 501(c)(3) or a 501(c)(6) organization. There will be records of these.
If you are donating money to someone,please ensure that they have some credibility. Whether someone is a bereaved mother making keychains or a group with a board of directors, there are certain procedures that must be followed to keep the organization legal. This helps protect us as consumers.
3 comments:
Thanks Rebecca. As always your post are very informative. I appreciated. Kira
Thank you for your post and mentioning this woman. Its always good to know that I'm not alone in thinking the red flags are a waving yet others just won't open their eyes. I'm not even sad about the ten dollars anymore. I'm just disgusted in this person.
I don't blame you.
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