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Business · North America

Long Island nonprofit promoted Kassay fundraiser with campaign donation links

Long Island Youth Development Inc. hosted and promoted an October 3 fundraiser for New York Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay, according to the New York Post. The event flyer featured Kassay’s campaign logo, listed tickets from $50 to $500 and said donations were appreciated but not required.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 2 outletsHow it's made

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2 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 1 · R 1
Updat3 graphic: Long Island Youth Development Inc.
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What happened

Key facts

  • The nonprofit’s social media post urged followers to support Kassay and described her contributions to the organization and the Asian community on Long Island.
  • A flyer for the event featured Kassay’s campaign logo, said donations were appreciated but not required, and listed ticket prices from $50 to $500.
  • The nonprofit is headed by Dr. Yanping Yu and made the post as Kassay secured a large state grant for the organization.
  • The Post said the fundraiser appeared to violate federal laws for tax-exempt entities.

The brief

Long Island Youth Development Inc. hosted and promoted a fundraiser for New York Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay’s campaign, an activity the New York Post said appeared to violate federal rules for tax-exempt organizations. The event took place on October 3, according to the Post’s account, which cited a nonprofit social media post promoting the fundraiser.

The organization’s post encouraged followers to support Kassay and referred to her contributions to the nonprofit and the Asian community on Long Island. The fundraiser flyer displayed Kassay’s campaign logo and listed ticket prices ranging from $50 to $500. It also said donations were appreciated but not required.

The flyer promoted New York’s public financing program, stating that in-district donations could receive matching funds of as much as 12 times the original contribution. That description connected the event’s donation links to a mechanism for supporting Kassay’s campaign, while the flyer presented donations as optional.

Patrick Sternal, counsel at Holtzman-Vogel, told the New York Post that the nonprofit was participating in a campaign, which he said is prohibited activity for a 501(c)(3). The Post characterized the event as appearing to violate federal laws for tax-exempt entities; its account does not describe a formal government finding or enforcement action.

The New York Post also reported that Long Island Youth Development’s federal filings recorded $13,827 raised at fundraising events and more than $15,034 spent to host them from June 2025 through May 2026. Those figures cover fundraising events across that period, rather than specifying the income or expense associated with the Kassay fundraiser.

The Post reported that Kassay had appeared at several events for the nonprofit, citing her social media accounts. The fundraiser’s promotion described her contributions to the organization and the Asian community as a reason for supporters to back her campaign.

The account also placed the fundraiser in the context of a state grant Kassay had secured for the nonprofit, without establishing a connection between the grant and the event or its donations. The central issue raised by the Post and Sternal’s comment is whether the nonprofit’s campaign promotion complied with rules for tax-exempt organizations.

Why it matters

  • The nonprofit’s flyer connected donations for Kassay’s campaign to New York’s public financing program, which the flyer said could match qualifying in-district donations up to 12 times.
  • The flyer listed ticket prices from $50 to $500 while saying donations were optional.
  • Patrick Sternal told the New York Post that the activity was prohibited for a 501(c)(3); the Post described a potential violation, not a formal enforcement finding.

What to watch next

  • Whether Long Island Youth Development or Kassay addresses the fundraiser’s campaign donation links.
  • Whether a government agency makes a finding or takes action concerning the nonprofit’s campaign promotion.
  • Whether the nonprofit’s filings or public statements identify fundraising figures specific to the Kassay event.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
2 source articles · 2 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 1 Center · 1 Right
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 100%
Outlet political mix
Too few rated
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
1 outlet
1 outlet
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
2 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Limited coverage
  • Coverage is currently limited to 2 outlets.
How we measure coverage

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Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Congress enacted the Revenue Act, establishing the federal income-tax framework that included tax exemptions for qualifying organizations.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. Congress amended the tax code to bar 501(c)(3) organizations from intervening in campaigns for or against candidates.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. New York’s Public Campaign Finance Commission recommended changes to the state’s campaign-finance system.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. New York enacted a public campaign-financing program in its state budget, signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. Rebecca Kassay won election to represent New York’s 4th Assembly District.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Rebecca Kassay took office in the New York State Assembly.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

New York’s public campaign-financing system was created before Rebecca Kassay entered the State Assembly: the state enacted it in the 2020 budget, signed on April 3, 2020, and the program began operating for the 2024 election cycle.

The system provides qualifying candidates with public matching funds for eligible small contributions, with a matching rate of up to 12-to-1 for certain legislative contributions. Kassay won election to represent the 4th Assembly District on November 5, 2024, and took office in January 2025.

Original sources

2 articles from 2 outlets

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