John, there is a PR company in Washington DC that specializes in smearing non-profit organizations. They are hired, of course, by for-profit companies that want the non-profit out of the way so they can do something less-than-kind to make more profit. They did a massive ad campaign saying that the director of Goodwill Industries makes millions of dollars a year (he doesn't, he's a retired minister who makes less than $100,000; my husband got to know him when he was on the Board of Governors). They started the scandal that ASPCA backed legislation to kill shelter animals (they certainly didn't). The company starts a new non-profit org that sounds like 'concern for animals' or 'citizens for equality' or something along those lines - the accusations are made by the new non-profit which folds soon after they are discredited but some damage is already done. People on facebook repost the headlines and stories from newspapers that no one has heard of.
A relative of mine accidentally met the guy who owns the company when she was working for Humane Society in Washington DC. The same company also starts rumors about medical procedures when a competing company hires them to. Peggy