Nonprofits seek transparency amid Family Connections scandal
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Family Connections was a local early education support group that served thousands, before closing its doors last week. The organization was forced to shut down amid an investigation into financial irregularities.
Louanne Aponte was the Executive Director of Family Connections. She has been accused of tampering with government records, and has yet to be located.
Now, other groups who wish to serve Central Texans are trying to move forward.
Whether it's raising money through a race or concert, local nonprofits rely on the public to help support thousands of Central Texans in need every year.
Matt Kouri is the Executive Director of Greenlights for Nonprofit Success. The organization provides management and training services for local charities.
Click here to read some tips from the Better Business Bureau on how recognize a trustworthy charity.
"We would hope the last thing the public would see this as is another excuse to not support the vast majority of nonprofits that are very well run and very tightly managed," he said.
Kouri said the fallout with Family Connections, a group they have provided training services for in the past, has created a breach in public trust. However, he said it's a situation to learn from.
"I think you're going to see a lot of nonprofits being a lot smarter," he said.
Erin Dufner is the Vice President of Communication for the Better Business Bureau.
"This is going to force people to take a look at who their employees are, how they are being run, whether they're being transparent," Dufner said.
Dufner said the bureau has been swamped with calls from concerned citizens questioning future donations to any kind of charity after the Family Connections investigation.
Officials said it shouldn't stop people from giving, but to give in a different way.
"It's okay if you want to give to a charity to do your research, because it can take less than 20 minutes to find out additional information about a charity," Dufner said.
Kouri said those working for nonprofits are looking for a few more red flags now as well.
"Employees of nonprofits are much more trepidations about their jobs and their organizations," he said.
To try to help make nonprofit board members and charities more transparent, Greenlights has provided several tools for organizations on its website.