Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum today issued the Attorney General's 20 Worst Charities list, an annual review of non-profit organizations that spend the majority of their donations on administrative costs and hiring professional fundraisers rather than on the cause they support. All of the charities are based outside of Oregon, but solicit donations in the state. The Firefighters Support Foundation of Massachusetts takes the number one ranking this year, with the organization spending only 6.5 percent of its approximately $3.9 million in annual expenditures to assist firefighters and their families.

A full list of the 20 Worst Charities can be found here.

"There are many Oregon-based charities that do excellent work in our communities," said Attorney General Rosenblum. "Last year, Oregon passed new laws designed to ensure that a charity spends at least 30% of its donations on its charitable mission. As a result, we are starting to see a real impact on the types of charities that are based outside of the state, but solicit in Oregon-and many unscrupulous charities are no longer registering here."

Five organizations not previously in the "top 20" are included on this year's list. The organizations include: Veterans Support Foundation (Silver Spring, MD), National Cancer Assistance Foundation (Sarasota, FL), Defeat Diabetes Foundation, Inc. (Madeira Beach, FL), Car Donation Foundation d/b/a Wheels for Wishes (St. Louis Park, MN), Cancer Support Services, Inc. (Dearborn, MI).

Many of the organizations on this year's list exemplify warning signs that Oregonians should watch for in evaluating charitable solicitations. Consumers should watch for warning signs such as organizations with names that are similar to -- but not the same as --other well-known and reputable charities, or charities that use emotionally appealing-but vague-descriptions of the charities' activities.