The Better Business Bureau is using July 4 as an opportunity to shine some light on the various charities the organization supports.
“The freedom of choice, to support causes we care about, reminds us of the spirit of the July 4 holiday,” said H. Art Taylor, president and chief executive of BBB Wise Giving Alliance, in a release. “But whether the charity advocates for issues related to civil rights, immigration, the environment, animal welfare, health care, veterans, military service members or other issues, verify if the charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability by visiting Give.org.”
BBB offers the following tips when giving to charities:
• More than a charity name. Don’t assume the nature of the advocacy charity’s programs based solely on its name. Review the organization’s website to better understand its position and activities.
• Be wary of overly emotional appeals. Watch out for charity appeals that seek to stir your passions for an advocacy issue, but don’t tell you what the charity is specifically doing to address the matter.
• Many voices for each cause. For any advocacy issue, there are a variety of charities seeking to address the matter in their own way. The charity soliciting is not the only option to consider. Many charities that carry out program services such as health care research, education, veterans assistance and the like also are engaged in advocacy activities related to their mission.
• Accountability is more than finances. It would be a mistake to overemphasize charity finances when assessing a charity. BBB Wise Giving Alliance reminds donors that its broad standards address many other aspects of accountability, such as governance, effectiveness reporting, appeal accuracy, website disclosures, donor privacy and other matters.
• Deductibility verification. Don’t assume that all advocacy organizations are tax exempt as charities. If deductibility is important, see the advocacy appeal references whether the organization is tax exempt as a charity.
The BBB Wise Giving Alliance produces reports on more than 1,300 nationally soliciting charitable organizations, and local BBBs report on another 10,000 local and regional charities. The 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 standards that address charity governance, finances, fundraising, appeal accuracy and other issues.
For more information, visit Give.org.
