Nonprofit debt liability for volunteers

[joy_2001]

I inadvertently posted this in the old debt collection forum so I hope it is ok to repost it here.

I volunteered from 2008 to late 2010 at a community outreach 501c3 in Colorado. Among other services, they provided low cost drug testing. Sometimes when the nonprofit was low on money, my husband and I paid some of its bills as a donation to keep the doors open, including the lab bill.

In 2010 I discovered the director was mismanaging funds. I told board members who said they would handle it. but after that I donated time but not money. Severeal times the director said she had cash to pay bills but couldn't put it in the nonprofits checking acct because it was overdrawn. She asked if I would send a check to pay it if she gave me the cash. Since she was giving me the cash to cover the check I agreed. I left about a year ago and later found out the nonprofit was evicted and shut down.

Last week I was contacted by an attorney for the drug testing lab saying I owed them almost $600 for the nonprofits outstanding bill. I explained what had happened but they said that no volunteer would do what I did and are turning me over to collection. Can they do that? I was not on the Board of Directors, couldn't sign legal documents or anything like that. I coordinated volunteers and assisted people...I was just a volunteer!

 

[army judge]

Relax, kind, good, decent Samaritan; you have nothing to fear from those bullies.

The debt incurred by an organization, corporation, other legal entity becomes the obligation of the entity.


Bottom line, you are under no legal obligation to pay the debts of any entity, organization, or person; but your own (and in certain rare cases, your spouse)!!!


If they do sue you, your defense is they've sued the wrong person. You were not a manager, director, or in any way legally involved with the charity. You were simply being a servant and sewing seeds of kindness.

I suggest you not to communicate with the debt collector scum. Do not speak to them on the phone or respond to their letters. Ignore them. Let them sue you. Your defense is ironclad. If they sue you, they've sued the wrong person.