One quarter of companies paid to raise money for charities returned less than 20 percent to their nonprofit clients. In the worst cases, after charities paid fundraisers fees and a cut of donations, they actually lost money on the deal.

Those were among the results of a report released today by Secretary of State Sam Reed and Attorney General Rob McKenna on the activities of commercial fundraisers. Paid fundraisers are often the people who solicit money for causes over the phone or send mass mailings. Seniors 65 and older are particularly vulnerable targets.

The 107 paid fundraisers in the report raised $1.4 billion in donations, with an average of 77 percent returned to charity. Causes include police, firefighter and veteran organizations, medical research, arts, animals and the environment.

One way to avoid these extra costs is to send the charity a check directly, or donate online using the charity's own website. Of the 9,757 charities registered in Washington state, only 653 of them reported using paid fundraising services.

The full report is here, listing the companies that solicit, the organizations that use their services, and the percentages of money going to charity. Those with a high percentage going to the nonprofit are at the top of the list.

The public can also search charities on this state government site to find financial histories and other information, or call 1-800-332-4483.

Another good source for evaluating charities is Charity Navigator, which breaks down how much an organization spends for programs, administration and fundraising, and lists the salary of the executive director.