Planet Aid
Encyclopedia
Planet Aid is a non-profit organization
that collects and sells donated clothing
and shoe
s to support sustainable development
in impoverished communities around the world. Since 1997, Planet Aid reports it has supported more than 60 projects in 15 countries with more $60 million.
According to Planet Aid's website, they also claim to "fund programs serving the people of Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia." Such programs are said to include community development, health, agricultural development, vocational training as well as teacher training for rural areas of the developing world.
Also according to its website, Planet Aid has placed more than 13,000 yellow clothes collection boxes throughout the United States.
However, the charity and its affiliated organizations have attracted considerable controversy over the years (see section "Allegations of ties to organized criminal activity and a cult leader").
Planet Aid is active in 20 states across the US and claims to works to create partnership
s with business
es, school
s and other organizations on state and local levels to help them collect used clothing for their organization.
Nationally and internationally, Planet Aid is a member of the following organizations:
Even though controversies exist, Planet Aid is listed as a private charitable organization
under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
. Tax ID# 04-3348171
(AIP) as well as the Better Business Bureau
(BBB), both of which claim, among other things, that Planet Aid's charitable program spending ratio is far too low. The AIP has given the organization an "F" grade, saying that it gives only 23% of funds raised to charity.
Patricia Rose, BBB president, has said of Planet Aid, "Better Business Bureau wanted consumers to be aware that their clothing and monetary donations are not being used to support local families, but rather are being sent overseas." Rose further stated that "Your BBB also questions how [Planet Aid] is spending consumer donations. This organization has not met the twenty BBB Standards for Charitable Accountability."
, several news investigations have claimed that Planet Aid is linked to a controversial education and humanitarian organization from Denmark
, called the Teachers Group or Tvind
, that many consider to be a cult
.
In Denmark, Tvind leaders have been prosecuted for serious financial crimes
, with two convictions in separate trials, in 2006 and 2009 respectively.
Planet Aid is said to have received tens of millions of dollars in grants from the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) since 2004. However, The Copenhagen Post
reported in 2009 that the USDA was taking a closer look at Planet Aid and the grants it has received, due to the USDA's belated discovery of Planet Aid's alleged affiliation with Tvind.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that collects and sells donated clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
and shoe
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
s to support sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
in impoverished communities around the world. Since 1997, Planet Aid reports it has supported more than 60 projects in 15 countries with more $60 million.
- Planet Aid reports that it is making helping others easy and accessible by using donated clothing and shoes to drive economic developmentEconomic developmentEconomic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
, improve the environmentNatural environmentThe natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
, and eliminate povertyPovertyPoverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
in developing nations.
- Planet Aid claims it is committed to building capacityCapacity buildingCapacity building also referred to as capacity development is a conceptual approach to development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibit people, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from realizing their developmental goals while enhancing...
by funding sustainable community developmentCommunity developmentCommunity development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....
projects that address educationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, food securityFood securityFood security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
, healthHealthHealth is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, hygieneHygieneHygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
- By recycling used clothing and shoes, Planet Aid works to protect the environment by saving on landfillLandfillA landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
space and reducing the emission of greenhouse gasGreenhouse gasA greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
es.
- Planet Aid claims to have a proven track recordTrack recordTrack record means informally the collective recollections of the performance of a person or an organization; similarly to fame or publicity.The term track record may also refer to:*Track Records, an English record label...
and an effective business modelBusiness modelA business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value...
.
According to Planet Aid's website, they also claim to "fund programs serving the people of Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia." Such programs are said to include community development, health, agricultural development, vocational training as well as teacher training for rural areas of the developing world.
Also according to its website, Planet Aid has placed more than 13,000 yellow clothes collection boxes throughout the United States.
However, the charity and its affiliated organizations have attracted considerable controversy over the years (see section "Allegations of ties to organized criminal activity and a cult leader").
Planet Aid is active in 20 states across the US and claims to works to create partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
s with business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es, school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s and other organizations on state and local levels to help them collect used clothing for their organization.
- Northern New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
- Southern New England
- Upstate NY
- New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
/New York - Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
- WashingtonWashington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... - North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
- Cleveland, OHCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
- Columbus, OHColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
- Detroit, MI
- Kansas City, MOKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
- Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CA
Nationally and internationally, Planet Aid is a member of the following organizations:
- Global Health CouncilGlobal Health CouncilThe Global Health Council is a United States-based non-profit networking organizing linking "several hundred health non-governmental organizations around the world to share knowledge and resources, build partnerships and together become stronger advocates for health"...
- Alliance for Global Food Security
- Aid for Africa
- InterAction
Even though controversies exist, Planet Aid is listed as a private charitable organization
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
Internal Revenue Code
The Internal Revenue Code is the domestic portion of Federal statutory tax law in the United States, published in various volumes of the United States Statutes at Large, and separately as Title 26 of the United States Code...
. Tax ID# 04-3348171
Low marks from charity watch-dog groups
Planet Aid has received unfavorable ratings from the American Institute of PhilanthropyAmerican Institute of Philanthropy
The American Institute of Philanthropy is a 501 nonprofit organization, created in the United States by Daniel Borochoff in 1992, to provide information about charities' financial efficiency, accountability, governance, and fundraising. Its official website is known as...
(AIP) as well as the Better Business Bureau
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
(BBB), both of which claim, among other things, that Planet Aid's charitable program spending ratio is far too low. The AIP has given the organization an "F" grade, saying that it gives only 23% of funds raised to charity.
Patricia Rose, BBB president, has said of Planet Aid, "Better Business Bureau wanted consumers to be aware that their clothing and monetary donations are not being used to support local families, but rather are being sent overseas." Rose further stated that "Your BBB also questions how [Planet Aid] is spending consumer donations. This organization has not met the twenty BBB Standards for Charitable Accountability."
Allegations of ties to organized criminal activity and a cult leader
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, several news investigations have claimed that Planet Aid is linked to a controversial education and humanitarian organization from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, called the Teachers Group or Tvind
Tvind
Tvind is an international school centre in the small town of Ulfborg in Denmark, founded in 1970. The schools in Denmark are a progressive part of the Danish educational landscape and have educated more than 40,000 students over the years...
, that many consider to be a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
.
In Denmark, Tvind leaders have been prosecuted for serious financial crimes
Financial crimes
Financial crimes are crime against property, involving the unlawful conversion of the ownership of property to one's own personal use and benefit...
, with two convictions in separate trials, in 2006 and 2009 respectively.
Planet Aid is said to have received tens of millions of dollars in grants from the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
(USDA) since 2004. However, The Copenhagen Post
The Copenhagen Post
The Copenhagen Post is a weekly newspaper providing Danish news in English both nationally and internationally; it is the only English-language newspaper published in Denmark. Founded in November 1997 by San Shepherd, The Copenhagen Post has a weekly circulation of between 12,000 and 15,000...
reported in 2009 that the USDA was taking a closer look at Planet Aid and the grants it has received, due to the USDA's belated discovery of Planet Aid's alleged affiliation with Tvind.