'It's become expected of you': How viral Dalton donations turned giving into tradition for Bills fans

The father of four found the organization with a Google search after the NFL quarterback’s touchdown pass in the 2017 regular season finale lifted the Cincinnati Bengals over the Baltimore Ravens and put the Bills in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.

Forrest tweeted a screenshot of his donation, sparking a viral social media campaign.

“I had no idea it was going to take off,” Forrest said last week. “I was just looking for an outlet to express my gratitude, and his foundation seemed like a no-brainer.”

Within days, more than 17,000 donors raised $442,000 for the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation, a nonprofit founded by the quarterback and his wife to benefit seriously ill and disabled children and their families.

Much of the money went to charity, but nearly $100,000 of those unsolicited donations went to the nonprofit's management company, Prolanthropy LLC, a Buffalo News investigation found. The company charged the Dalton Foundation 22.5% of total revenue for its various services, according to its contract. Those terms are “wildly out of line” with industry norms, according to nonprofit oversight attorney Andrew Morton and other experts. And Prolanthropy’s fees were not the extent of the Dalton Foundation’s operating expenses.

In 2018, the nonprofit spent 63 cents of every dollar on charitable giving and programs, based on information on its federal tax return. In 2019, it was 56 cents. Charity watchdog groups expect efficient nonprofits to spend at least 70 to 75 cents of every dollar on charity.

The full impact of Bills fans’ spontaneous donations to the Dalton Foundation is difficult to measure because it extends beyond the nonprofit, its beneficiaries and balance sheet.

The outpouring of support and the national attention it received supercharged the generosity of fans, many of whom gave in $17 increments to represent each year of the playoff drought.

‘Part of being a Bills fan’

Bills fans have donated millions to nonprofit organizations in the four years since, and fans who started other grassroots charity campaigns said donating to the Dalton Foundation was transformative.

Several spoke to The News before learning about the effect of Prolanthropy’s business model on the Dalton Foundation.

“Andy Dalton kickstarted it. That was amazing to watch. And since then, we’ve traded our bitterness and our pessimism for hope and optimism and these acts of charity,” said Daniel Konopski, whose Reddit post helped start a $553,000 flood of donations to Blessings in a Backpack in January after Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was concussed in a playoff game against the Bills.

Kristen Kimmick is the founder of Bills Mafia Babes, a Facebook group of thousands of female fans that raises money for players’ charities and obtained 501(c)(3) status this year.

“When I started seeing people donate, my first thought was, ‘$17 dollars isn’t a lot. Just do it, because this is going to go to a good cause and it’s also going to show that passion, that feeling that I’ve been wanting to be able to express for how many years,’” Kimmick said.

Justin Hutton was the first to donate to Oishei Children’s Hospital in November 2020 when Bills quarterback Josh Allen played one of the great games of his life a day after learning his grandmother died. More than 27,000 fans, many donating in $17 increments to represent Allen’s jersey number, raised more than $1.15 million in her honor.

“It’s a feeling that resonates with not just the Buffalo fanbase but anybody who sort of gets involved with a zeitgeist movement like that,” Hutton said. “You feel good for being a part of something bigger than yourself.”

Hans Hansen is a Bills moderator on Reddit who first shared Hutton’s idea on Twitter. He said the donations have become “part of being a Bills fan.”

“It started with Andy Dalton, at least in my experience,” Hansen said, “and I think for a lot of people it did. And if you’re a part of this fanbase, it’s become expected of you almost.” 

‘Probably would not have gone’

Forrest, the fan who first donated to the Dalton Foundation, received a phone call from Prolanthropy within days. The screenshot he tweeted about his donation shows the company’s name at the bottom of the nonprofit’s webpage, but he hadn’t noticed and never heard of Prolanthropy.

The company’s name has since been removed from the websites of the nonprofits it manages.

“They said that they were reaching out on behalf of the Dalton Foundation,” he recalled. “I wasn’t sure how the representation took place.”

Forrest said he was told the Dalton Foundation was planning a trip to Buffalo to give back to the community in August 2018, and it invited him and his wife to accompany the nonprofit’s board members. The organization paid to fly them round trip from their home in Nebraska, as well as for food, lodging and tickets to the Bills’ preseason game against the Bengals in Orchard Park.

The visit began with a news conference at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, where the Dalton Foundation presented the medical facility with a $25,000 grant, and electronics it valued at $12,500, according to a spreadsheet provided by the Dalton Foundation’s tax attorney. The nonprofit’s 2018 tax return cites $10,500 in direct expenses attributed to the “Bills Campaign,” while the spreadsheet lists $21,000 in additional travel expenses for the trip.

Jordan Dalton said board members reimbursed the nonprofit for these expenses with donations, of which Prolanthropy was entitled to 22.5%.

“If that was all coming from the same pot as the donations, I probably would not have gone just for that fact,” Forrest said. “But like everybody else that gave funds, I didn’t expect that to be the case.”

Forrest said his perception of Andy and Jordan Dalton hasn’t changed. He described them as humble people with a “heart of gold.”

He’s also happy that Bills fans’ support for the Dalton Foundation moved the fanbase to continue showering nonprofits with donations.

“It’s cool that it’s a thing, that people try to think of a way to give back,” Forrest said, adding that fans should be a “little more cognizant” when choosing to donate to nonprofits, thanks to The News’ reporting on the Dalton Foundation and Prolanthropy. “It informs us as supporters to at least do some level of research to know exactly where our money is going.”

Timeline of giving

Bills fans have repeatedly grabbed headlines for their generosity in the four years since the fanbase donated nearly a half-million dollars to the Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation.

Here are some notable examples, with a look at the percent of each dollar the nonprofits spend on charitable giving and events. The information is based on expenses reported on each organization’s most recent federal tax returns, from 2017 to 2019, unless otherwise noted.

January 2018

Western Pennsylvania Youth Athletic Association: $150,000+

Bills fans didn’t forget about Tyler Boyd, the wide receiver who caught Dalton’s fateful touchdown pass. Boyd set up a page on YouCaring.com to raise money for the Western Pennsylvania Youth Athletic Association, to help kids from low-income neighborhoods participate in sports.

The organization received 501(c)(3) status in June 2020, retroactive to August 2018, but it never filed a federal tax return and its nonprofit status was revoked, according to the IRS website.

Eric Wood Fund: $32,000+

Bills fans donated in $70 increments to match Wood’s jersey number after the offensive lineman was forced into sudden retirement because of a neck injury. Wood had a Prolanthropy-managed nonprofit, which he dissolved after it directed just 33 cents of every dollar spent toward charitable programs in 2016. In 2017, he created a fund to directly benefit John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo.

The Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation, the medical facility’s philanthropic arm, spends 97 cents of every dollar on charitable programs, according to its last three federal tax returns.

April 2019

Nashville Children’s Alliance Inc.: $14,000+

FOX Sports ran a Twitter poll to determine the NFL’s best fanbase. Bills fans reached the semifinals and had a sizeable lead but lost in the final minutes after a Tennessee Titans fan bought 20,000 fake votes (and posted the receipt online).

The nonprofit provides free services to children who have experienced sexual or severe physical abuse and spends 77 cents of every dollar on charity.

May 2019

Teacher’s Desk Inc.: $100,000+

Bills super fan Ezra Castro, known as Pancho Billa, said he didn’t want flowers at his funeral, but backpacks for children before he died from cancer at 39 years old. The Teacher’s Desk provides donated school supplies for students in need.

The nonprofit spends 99 cents of every dollar on charity.

January 2020

Alzheimer's Association: $7,000+

More than 300 donors contributed after Baltimore radio host Jerry Coleman called Buffalo the “city of losers.” Coleman, who supported the nonprofit in honor of his mother, told a co-host on-air that he received a stack of mail filled with hundreds of donation receipts.

The nonprofit spends 76 cents of every dollar on charity.

November 2020

Oishei Children’s Hospital: $1.15 million

Josh Allen throws for 415 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-34 victory against Seattle a day after the death of his grandmother, which coach Sean McDermott revealed after the game. More than 27,000 fans, many donating in $17 increments to represent Allen’s jersey number, raised more than $1.15 million in her honor. The Patricia Allen Fund, which is managed by The Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation, directs 100% of its resources to charitable giving and events, according to Andrew Bennett, the nonprofit’s vice president.

The organization otherwise spends 97 cents of every dollar on charity, according to its tax returns.

December 2020

National Diaper Bank Network: $10,000+

Bills fans' generosity surged again when ESPN’s Bomani Jones and Domonique Foxworth were critical of Allen and Bills fans on a podcast.

The nonprofit, which Jones supports, spends 95 cents of every dollar on charity.

January 2021

Blessings in a Backpack: $553,000

More than 18,450 donors contributed to Blessings in a Backpack after Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was concussed during the Bills’ playoff victory in Orchard Park. The nonprofit provides food to elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry.

It spends 83 cents of every dollar on charity.

November 2021

Food Bank of NW Louisiana: $108,000+

Bills fans flooded the nonprofit with $27 donations in honor of cornerback Tre’Davious White, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in a victory against the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving. White is from Shreveport, an area served by the nonprofit.

It spends 96 cents of every dollar on charity.

December 2021

VIA Visually Impaired Advancement: $65,000+

Bills fans channeled their frustration, some in $17 donations, when NFL officials failed to call pass interference on a Tampa Bay defender whose early contact prevented Stefon Diggs from catching a game-winning touchdown. The Bills lost in overtime.

The nonprofit spends 92 cents of every dollar on charity.