"...wouldn't be so bad except the person who was (in charge) is the daughter of a fabulous quilter---who knows better!"
Is the person confirming the proceeds the same person that is the daughter of a fabulous quilter, and there's a little 'friendly' competition and they may be intentionally trying to 'push' your buttons? Can you confirm with someone else? I know that the encomy is bad, but that's really hard for me to believe, $10 and $15 dollars just doesn't sound anywhere close to realistic.