The New York Charities Bureau says a new study of telemarketing companies in the state found that 39 cents of every dollar raised for charities by commercial telemarketing companies actually go to the nonprofit cause, and the balance is used to pay fees and expenses, reports The New York Times.

The report, “Pennies for Charity, Where Your Money Goes: Telemarketing by Professional Fund Raisers,” examined 553 fund-raising campaigns that were conducted in 2007 on behalf of 442 charities.

California and Massachusetts recently issued similar reports.

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