YMCA donors should reconsider until these Morrison questions are answered | Opinion
The Morrison YMCA sale is not simply a neighborhood dispute. It is a governance crisis that should cause every donor to the Charlotte YMCA network to reconsider their philanthropy.
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The YMCA Board of Directors has approved the $42.5 million sale of Morrison without releasing the documents members and donors need to evaluate whether fiduciary, governance, and professional and business standards of care were met. We have not seen the appraisals. We have not seen the alternatives analysis. We have not seen the conflict‑of‑interest disclosures. We have not seen the allocation of proceeds. We have not seen the board minutes. We have not seen the titles and deeds to the impacted properties.
Without these records, the public cannot determine whether this was a prudent, transparent, and mission‑consistent decision — or simply a liquidation of a community asset built through decades of memberships, donations, and volunteerism.
Major donors, in particular, should not only reconsider their giving, but also contact North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson to request that his office pause this transaction until there is full transparency of the applicable records. The Attorney General has both the authority and the responsibility to ensure that charitable assets are not transferred without proper disclosure and review.
Until the YMCA demonstrates accountability, donors should withhold support, and regulators should intervene to ensure that fiduciary and stewardship standards are honored.
Don Trone, Charlotte
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