AFTD: Open Hand Foundation Provides AFTD $600K for FTD Research
IGN: YouTuber The Completionist Responds to Allegations of ‘Charity Fraud’ Against Him and Open Hand
Karl Jobst: The Completionist’s Response is the Worst Thing Ever
TL;DR: Things look incredibly bad. The completionist has practically admitted to misleading donors, and it seems like he is expecting the IRS will get involved (IGN). It also seems he’s threatening legal action for slander (Jobst).
The allegation that the money was not donated seems to be true (up until the AFTD donation in November of 2023) (IGN, AFTD). The Completionist has admitted he “made statements potentially implying donations were made when they had not yet been” (IGN). Karl basically states that it isn’t a potential implication, but a direct claim that he made, and is additionally is alleging that the way The Completionist benefits from IndieLand constitutes charity fraud (Jobst).
I agree. I usually like Karl’s content but his tone really did a disservice to this story. He really should have consulted someone that knows USA charity law for this. I don’t think he’s wrong, he just needed more credibility for his video. He’s also Australian, so US law isn’t something I’d expect him to know at all.
I don’t see how the completionist could make these claims about donating to specific cherities without actually donating a single cent until someone noticed. Surely USA charity law isn’t so broken that this is legal?
I mean, it’s pretty scummy but “working with” could refer to just being in communications with those charities about what a potential donation would be used for. Given what Jirard has said, I assume he was completely negligent about checking in on any of the foundation’s activities, and was probably just handed a paper with the names of “partners” on it for the stream. That said, I feel like the quotes about being a “major” or “main” partner with some specific organizations could get them into trouble, even if it’s legal for them to hold the money that long and they pass IRS audits
Laws are only as good as the enforcers are financed. The irs has been underfunded a lot.