When a nonprofit is declared a "sham charity" what is really going on? This is the question to ask the Treasury Department which has specifically sanctioned Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. IAs reported by CBS news, the US and Canadian governments have both identified this nonprofit as a front for raising money for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, an identified terrorist organization..
It is not in my purview to judge whether a nonprofit is fronting a terrorist organization or not. I can only assume that the government has done it's homework and reached its conclusion based on sound research. With that said I am led to wonder, has the government reviewed the governance of Samidoun? That is, who are the folks that "own" the nonprofit and have they been fulfilling their fiduciary duty, mandating direction, establishing clear values, and monitoring results, programmatic and financial? The answer to these questions can provide a summative understanding of the legitimacy of a nonprofit and for all donors, satisfy that mutual interests are being pursued and prudence is being exercised. In my opinion, a sham charity is one whose governance is not true and actions are equally inconsistent with mission. And, while the government can indeed be the judge as to whether a nonprofit is a front for "bad actors" - governance becomes a viable window.