Following are narratives of three charitable projects that found a fiscal sponsor, Help Is Here, from its profile then posted in Study Center’s directory. Now they claim to have lost thousands of dollars to the management shenanigans of Maggie Lane-Baker, CEO of HIH.
The stonewalling of the projects’ financial information, switching the rules and requirements, and a combative, bullying, unprofessional persona by Lane-Baker are threads that run throughout.
These women feel they’ve been mugged, got kicked around, and now their money’s gone, collectively, $50,000. They’ve yelled for help to every cop around — from the IRS to the California attorney general — and now, finally, through Small Claims and Superior Court, rulings are running in their favor.
Jennifer Gurecki of Zawadisha Fund, which supports projects in Kenya, was first to contact Study Center last year, complaining that Help Is Here was wrongly retaining thousands she had raised for the fund. She won in court at the end of July.
She prevailed in a Placer County Superior Court judgment against Help Is Here, CEO Maggie Lane-Baker and founder Bill Mack, ordering them to return to Gurecki $4,952 plus $275 in court costs.
Judy Rogg of Erik’s Cause has a similar story of success in the courtroom. See the judge’s decision below.
Posted Sept. 7, 2012
Other stories in this series about Help Is Here
Arizona fiscal sponsor accused of taking $300,000 — Part 1
Help Is Here CEO Responds — Part 2