Recently, someone said to me “information is the most powerful commodity on Earth, with great potential for good or evil.”
It’s true that possessing information can be a good thing. By holding information, one can easily control perceptions and appearances.
On the other hand, by seeking information, one holds power simply by asking questions, forcing the issue, bringing the dark into light. And this is what we should do, right? Ask questions, seek answers, search for knowledge and information.
But what if, in asking the questions, instead of finding answers, we only find more…questions? Then what? Do we stop? Do we give up and assume the answers do not exist? Or do we press on; demand that the information sought be given to us? Do we go along with the crowd that isn't asking anything at all? Do we just accept the status quo?
I was conducting research for an article called Redefining the Twilight Fan, where I hoped to help change the perception that all Twilight fans are screaming thirteen year old girls or bored, lonely housewives.
One thing I wanted to do is bring some attention to all of the charities that this enormous fandom has participated in; charities such as The Fandom Gives Back, which raised money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and TwiFans for Haiti. I emailed a few people, asked a bunch of questions, and received all the answers I was looking for, and then some. The people I communicated with were extremely helpful and forthcoming with information regarding their fundraising efforts.
All except one.
When I began asking questions about a particular organization, Support Stacie, I became confused. What I found was not answers, but only more questions. Unlike the people involved with other fundraising efforts, those involved with Support Stacie were not very forthcoming with information. In fact, from the very beginning, I uncovered red flag after red flag.
And then I realized something: if I had questions, perhaps other people did too. If I had doubts, perhaps others shared my doubts as well. So I did what I do best…. I asked more questions. I contacted as many people as I could that knew anything about Support Stacie, people who had been involved with the fundraising, who had participated in the author auctions, and who have donated money. Together we uncovered, not answers, but more questions.
Let me start from the beginning.
Support Stacie is an organization that is raising money for Stacie Holeman, a Kentucky woman who is battling breast cancer and ovarian cancer. They raise money by holding various fundraising events, including craft and author auctions online. To date, over $95,000 has been raised by this multi-fandom effort. All proceeds are meant to help pay for Stacie’s growing medical bills and expenses.
Stacie has been a part of a fan-fiction community for several years, and her cause quickly spread throughout different fandoms, creating a multi-fandom effort to help raise money. I was impressed with the scope of her support, but initially I was lazy in my research. I simply asked the following questions:
~How it [Support Stacie] got started?
~How much money was raised?
~What other fandoms were involved?
I later realized that the answers to these simple questions could easily be found on the Support Stacie website. However, the initial response I received only garnered more questions.
The first person I contacted with my inquiries had been very involved with the Support Stacie effort just last year. Instead of direct, forthcoming responses to my three simple questions, I was informed that they were “not able to comment on anything related to Support Stacie”. This person did, however, point me to the Support Stacie website where the information I originally wanted was readily available. This only piqued my curiosity further at the apparently cautious response. When I questioned it, the only answer I received was “It’s better that I’m not involved”. I found the wording to be rather curious
I was then put in contact with a woman named Gioia, who, after a quick internet search, I learned not only ran the Support Stacie website and auction boards, but is also a good friend of Stacie Holeman. I asked her the same questions as above. She informed me that because of privacy issues, the Support Stacie people did not seek publicity outside of the fan-fiction communities. Again, I found this to be a curious response to three simple and direct questions, as well as an odd policy for fundraising.
Why wouldn’t an organization that is trying to raise money for a woman in need want extra publicity that would only help their effort? Not only that, but it could also help to bring awareness to Stacie’s illness, and perhaps help another woman who may be suffering from the same thing.
Unlike the other responses I received from various fandom fundraisers, Support Stacie constantly evaded my simple questions. Instead of answers, I was directed to a completely different fundraiser that had nothing to do with Support Stacie.
At this point, I could have left it all alone. I could have just written about the stuff I already knew, even included the Support Stacie effort in my intended article based on information I found on their website, but the unanswered questions remained and glowed brighter red by the day.
After speaking to a few online friends about my research and what I did (and did not) uncover, I was made aware that I was not the only person to question the Support Stacie fundraising effort. In fact, I learned that as far back as a year ago, there was a group of people who questioned the legitimacy of the SS effort, but their research was left unfinished when the questions they asked were unanswered.
It occurred to me that perhaps many people would feel squeamish about doubting this particular subject. Maybe we have a doubt or two, but since so many people we know are involved with the fundraising and the auctions, perhaps there were those of us who easily pushed our doubts aside, choosing to go along with the confidence of the masses. It occurred to me that perhaps those who choose to take advantage of others are counting on this mentality.
I questioned myself, was there a legitimate reason for my doubts? Speaking to several other people, some of whom have donated large amounts of money, time and effort to the Support Stacie cause, I realized I was not alone in my misgivings. I was surprised to learn that they shared my exact concerns. So with their help, I decided to keep looking. I wanted to find out as much about Support Stacie as I could.
On the Support Stacie website, it says that they are not a legitimate charity. It states:
Support Stacie is not a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization as defined by the U.S. tax codes. Unfortunately, the tax attorney and accountant we consulted have both informed us that it is impossible to obtain non-profit status for an organization which benefits only one individual, even when it is not for personal gain or profit. We do have the ability for a few large donations to be routed through a non-profit organization in order to obtain tax credit for the donor, should the need arise. However the auction donations as a whole are not tax-deductible.
All proceeds from the auction go towards Stacie Holeman’s ongoing medical expenses for breast cancer and ovarian cancer. These expenses include (but are not limited to) medication, hospital bills, doctor bills, radiation treatments, surgical procedures, and any other expense directly related to Stacie’s cancer treatment. Authors and auction participants do not benefit financially in any way, directly or indirectly, as a result of the Author Auctions.
If they are not a 501c3, then what are they? Because clearly, a group that has collected over $95,000 should be something, right? So I asked.
I sent Gioia another email, this time with a specific list of questions: What kind of organizations is SS? A DBA? LLC? In what state is SS located and registered? Is Support Stacie registered with the IRS? Why can’t people use their donation as a tax deduction? The website says that larger donations can be routed through a third party to gain tax deduction status…what is this third party? Where is the money that is being raised going? Who is handling it? Who is paying the medical bills?
Instead of answers to my direct questions I was told all about the Holeman family’s request for privacy, and then I was given a list of conditions in which these questions would be answered.
Instead of answers, I felt like I was given the run-around once-again. I made it clear in my response that I was not asking anything specific about the Holeman family, nor did I wish to learn anything about the Holeman family; I simply had questions regarding the legal rendering of the Support Stacie organization and how the donated money was handled.
The answer I received looked as though it was taken directly from the website. And although I was well aware of Support Stacie’s lack of 501c3 status, I was still not told in what state the organization was located, nor was I given any information regarding this third party that was funneling money for tax credit.
I did have a little piece of information from one of the groups who researched the SS organization in the past. I had the name of a church in Texas that was given to an individual who asked a lot of these similar questions. Evidently, the church was being used to route the money to Stacie so that larger donors could receive the tax credit. I contacted this church but was unable to reach anyone who could tell me anything about their involvement with Support Stacie.
From the very beginning I was struck by one thing: the Support Stacie volunteers appear to be doing a great thing for a woman in need. But their lack of transparency about the intricacies of their organization leaves one wondering if someone was hiding something. Their unwillingness to receive the small bit of publicity that a line or two of my initial article would have given them only amplifies that point.
In one of the email correspondences, Gioia states: “As I mentioned before, we do not pursue publicity outside of the fanfic communities. We aren't like most charitable organizations which seek publicity in order to help their causes.”
Coincidentally, a recent update to the Support Stacie website includes a Q&A done by Stacie where she answers various questions about her illness and her day to day life. It offers no solid information regarding the Support Stacie organization, but it is heartfelt, and offers a glimpse into the life of someone battling a horrific illness.
Another very recent update is a reminder of an author auction that SS is holding this weekend. At the end of that post it states:
“Promotional help for this auction is always needed! Please spread the word to all the fandom friends and fandom boards you know.”
Yet when I offered to promote the auction, I was told they aren’t interested. Moreover, I don’t understand why someone who is struggling in real life wouldn’t welcome all the help others are willing to give.
The bottom line is this…
I’m not saying whether or not Support Stacie is a fraudulent organization. I’m not accusing anyone of lying or scamming the fandom. But if there is a group who is trying to collect money from the general public - because whether it’s in the fan-fic community or not, it’s still the public - and people have questions about the organization and how and where the funds are being handled, it’s wise to be open and forthcoming with the information.
If you want the public’s help, then you need to answer the public’s questions.
It is our right to ask.