Nonprofit News From Elsewhere
A nonprofit that claims to rescue trafficked children is actually a bungling organization that has duped its supporters and the media, according to a Vice investigation. Operation Underground Railroad, which raised more than $21 million in 2019, tells donors tales of derring-do in faraway places, but insiders say it uses shaky sourcing and makes tactical mistakes that camouflage its missions. The nonprofit says it recruits former members of law enforcement and elite military units, but critics say its operations lack the discipline and planning of such organizations, including a lack of meaningful surveillance to verifying that its beneficiaries have actually been trafficked. The group is under investigation, reportedly for misleading fundraising appeals, by the attorney general of a county in Utah, where it is based. Operation Underground Railroad said it strives to comply with all laws governing nonprofits and that it is transparent about how it us