In the early 1980's I was Director of Development for a four-year liberal arts college in Ohio. Like many small colleges at the time it was mired in financial problems. The President of the college was very flamboyant and was willing to involve himself in "off the wall "activities that he thought would help solve the college's financial problems. His middle initials were EP and behind his back he was referred to as Evil Prince.
The Stolen Art
A gentleman showed up one day at the college with several pieces of original art. Each piece was valued at $5,000-$10,000. The gentleman said he was representing a donor who wished to give the art to the college in return for a tax receipt. The President accepted the art work and had a tax receipt issued.
A few months later a visitor to the President's Office asked the President where he had gotten the art on his wall He told him.
The visitor said, "That is my art work which was stolen from my home."
I left the college's employment in late 1982 and became a consultant. In mid-1983, when the college found out the art was stolen and finally realized the extent of the scams that they had been a part of, they called in the police and began court proceedings against the gentleman.
A court order for his arrest was issued and he disappeared. He was apprehended several months later in Jamestown, New York. At the time of his apprehension, I was subjected to extensive questioning and interviewing by the local police department.
As a result of this process the gentleman was brought before a Grand Jury. I was brought before the Grand Jury as a witness for the prosecution. As a result of my testimony and the testimony of other college officials, the gentleman was found guilty and was sentenced to 2 years in prison. The college never got any of its money back.
The lesson for all of us to remember is if it looks too good to be true it is too good to be true.
Jim Allen was awarded the AFP Barbara Marion Award for Outstanding Leadership in 2017. Allen, currently philanthropy officer for The Living City Foundation, has been in fundraising since 1970 and has been a member of AFP since 1980, serving in a variety of leadership positions and remaining a staunch champion for continuing education, certification and research. Allen has been involved in the formation of two AFP chapters, serving as a founding board member of both the Greater Cleveland Chapter in 1980 (where he served as president from 1982-1984) and then the Greater Toronto Chapter in 1994 (where he served as secretary), now the largest AFP chapter in the world with over 1,200 members. He served on the board of AFP (then known as the National Society of Fund Raising Executives) from 1980 – 1984, as well as in 2011. Allen was one of the first fundraisers in the world to receive the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential as part of the inaugural class in 1981. He earned his Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive (ACFRE) credential in 2004, just the fourth Canadian and one of 100 fundraisers around the world to possess that credential.
