The ads have been out for a few weeks now, television and radio commercials featuring Capital Area United Way board members and staffers are part of a new campaign to help the charity regain community trust.
"It's an investment. We owe it to the charities we support to keep them informed," says Chief Financial Officer Cathy Adcock-Davis. It's an investment that figures into nearly $230,000 in costs for the charity as it continues recovery efforts after a nearly $2 million embezzlement.
Adcock-Davis says the money spent on media and PR firms is about two or three times what the organization normally spends.
All tolled, communication efforts and advertisements add up to $76 thousand. Legal fees are about $140,000, and the search for a new executive leader costs about $10,000.
Officials say they plan to recover the costs, but they don't know how many excess funds will be left. The charity has already recovered $610,000 from their insurance policy.
