Earlier this month in a Milton, Ontario courthouse, Ashley Anne Kirilow avoided jail time with a 15-month conditional sentence, her punishment for admitted fundraising fraud totalling $12,000 over a period of a year and a half.
As part of her sentence, Ms. Kirilow must fulfill 100 hours of community service, although solicitation of funds for any charity is prohibited. These restrictions are expected, but unfortunate. Rehabilitation of this young woman could result in a top notch professional fundraiser while restitution of funds to a legitimate charity could help appease the donors who fell for Kirilow's emotional appeal.
As noted when this story broke, (CF&P, August 15, 2010) Ms. Kirilow had the instincts for effective fundraising that are difficult to teach. She had a good story that appealed to her target audience. She stayed in touch with givers, sharing her supposed journey through treatment and remission and turned supporters into fundraisers on her behalf.
But, unfortunately, all her accomplishments were based on a lie. People trusted her and lost their money. As a result, the charitable sector is reminded about the absolute necessity for accountability and transparency in all transactions, and donors are cautioned in their trust of "true" stories validated through friends and social media.
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