Less money going to NC charities as donations go down

More than $26 million was raised for charities in North Carolina in the 2011 fiscal year, but a little more than 49 percent actually went to the charities, according to a report the North Carolina Secretary of State's Office released Tuesday.

The report covers charities which raise money through the help of private fundraising groups. It shows that charities licensed by the state collected $26,716,762 from North Carolinians from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011. Of that, $13,215,195 went directly to charities. 

Last fiscal year, nearly 54 percent of funds went to directly charities, the report found.

"As the economy is down, the dollars that are going from citizens to charities is also down," Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said during a press conference at the North Carolina Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill on Tuesday. "Sadly, the percentage that's actually gone to the good works of the charities is down slightly. We all know that costs have gone up in a lot of things, and that's true in fundraising as well." 

Marshall said because of the added costs, the contracts for fundraising groups might be higher.