Arlington, VA – November 14, 2007 - The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance released its Holiday Season Wise Giving Guide today which focuses on national charities that have failed to disclose organizational information necessary for their evaluation by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.
The BBB Wise Giving Alliance evaluates nationally-soliciting charities on 20 standards covering fundraising, finances, governance and oversight, and the organization’s efforts to measure its effectiveness. All of these standards are necessary for evaluating the performance of a charity and charities that fail to disclose such information keep donors in the dark. The number of charities that failed to disclose information when requested by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance increased to 30 percent this year, up from an average of 22 percent in recent years.
“Charities have an obligation to be open and transparent so that the public can make confident decisions when donating money,” said Art Taylor, CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. “While failure to disclose doesn’t necessarily mean the charity is unethical or hiding something, it should raise a red flag for potential donors if a charity is holding back information and not being up front.”
In addition to the list of charities that failed to disclose information to the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, the Holiday Wise Giving Guide includes summary evaluations of more than 1100 charities. The full evaluations – BBB Wise Giving ReportsTM – on charities are available online at www.bbb.org/charity.
“About 70 percent of Americans feel it is difficult to tell whether a charity soliciting their contribution is legitimate, operates with integrity, and actually does the kind of charity work it says it does,” added Taylor. “Determining whether or not a charity deserves donor trust requires more than just looking at their tax filings and amounts spent on overhead; that’s why the BBB Wise Giving Alliance digs deeper.”
How the BBB Wise Giving Alliance Evaluates Charitable Organizations
The BBB Wise Giving Alliance conducts reviews of charities in response to donor demand. If a report does not already exist for a charity a consumer has inquired about, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance contacts the charity and asks that it complete an online questionnaire and provide copies of certain basic documents. If the charity complies, it is evaluated against the 20 standards of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.
Given the time of year, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers the following advice for choosing a worthy charity this holiday season:
- When in doubt, check it out. When an unfamiliar organization asks you for a donation, don’t give without gathering details about the charity, the nature of its programs and its use of funds. Contact the BBB Wise Giving Alliance or go to www.bbb.org/charity for a BBB Wise Giving ReportTM on the charity.
- Don’t be fooled by low overhead claims. We have seen many cases where charities spend acceptable amounts on fundraising and administration yet still fail to meet one or more of the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. When giving to national charities ask if they are accredited by the BBB. If not, then ask why.
- Think before you give. If you are solicited at the mall or on the street, take a minute or two to “think.” Ask for the charity’s name and address. Get full identification from the solicitor and review it carefully. Ask to see written information on the charity’s programs and finances.
- Watch out for cases of mistaken identity. With more than one million charities in the U.S., it’s not surprising that some charity names sound alike. Be careful that the one soliciting you is the one you have in mind.
- Know how much your purchase helps the charity. If something is being sold to benefit a charity, be wary of vague statements such as “all proceeds go to charity” or “your purchase will benefit a charity.” Look for a disclosure that indicates the actual or estimated amount of the purchase price that the charity will receive to fund its programs.
- Watch out for charity fraud. Legitimate charities do not demand donations; they willingly provide written information about their programs, finances or how donations are used; and they never insist you provide your credit card number, bank account number or any other personal information.
Free single copies of the Wise Giving Guide are available by sending a post card or note with name and address to: BBB Wise Giving Guide, 4200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22203.
For more information on the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and to read the more than 1000 Wise Giving ReportsTM on national charities, go to www.bbb.org/charity.
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About the BBB Wise Giving Alliance
The BBB Wise Giving Alliance produces reports on nationally soliciting charitable organizations. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance does not rank charities but rather seeks to assist donors in making informed judgments by providing objective evaluations of national charities based on 20 strict standards. The outcomes of the evaluations – or BBB Wise Giving ReportsTM – are available online at www.bbb.org/charity. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance is an affiliate of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the national organization representing 128 BBBs serving communities across the U.S. and Canada – evaluating and monitoring more than 3 million local and national businesses and charities. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information about BBB.
Reporters and journalists may contact Alison Preszler CBBB’s Media Relations Specialist or call 703-276-9376 to request an interview or additional information.
