Just as Olympic athletes improve by measuring their performance, charities build effectiveness and accountability through thoughtful oversight and measurement against their own goals.
Every four years since 1924, the Winter Olympics take center stage as many of the world’s greatest athletes compete in cold-weather sports including figure and speed skating, several skiing disciplines, hockey, and relative newcomers such as snowboarding.
This year, millions will tune in to watch the XXV Olympic Winter Games (Milano Cortina Olympics 2026) in Italy, cheering on athletes as they compete for glory and gold.
In the U.S., many remember the 1980 “Miracle on Ice,” when an underdog American hockey team defeated the heavily favored Soviet team 4–3 on its way to winning gold. We also enjoy “brushing” up on more curious sports, such as curling.
Whether you tune in for ski jumping (Eddie the Eagle comes to mind) or the bobsledding (yes, the Jamaican bobsled team is competing this year), measurement and striving for improvement are central themes of the Olympics.
BBB Wise Giving Alliance also recognizes the importance of measurement as a tool to help charities hold themselves accountable and strive to become more effective.
The backbone of our call for charities to set goals and measure progress is Standards 6 and 7 of the Standards for Charity Accountability.
As mission-driven organizations funded by public contributions, charities have an obligation to monitor their effectiveness, strive to improve their impact, and communicate results.
We believe each charity’s governing body is best positioned to understand the context in which the organization operates and determine how to assess its effectiveness and impact.
As with the diversity of Olympic events and athletes, the varied charitable missions of the organizations we evaluate mean that measuring effectiveness will look a little different for each charity.
A food pantry, for example, won’t measure progress in the same way as a large international crisis aid organization. Similarly, a pet shelter in New York may face different challenges than one in Cedar Key, Florida.
Our Standards call for a charity’s effectiveness assessment to include:
For charities that are just getting started, we recommend an alternative written framework in which they answer five fundamental questions outlined in Charting Impact.
Most Olympic athletes don’t win gold, but they return home focused on improving for the next competition.
Similarly, charities rarely achieve every goal and may need to reconsider their approach as they strive to fulfill their mission.
Our effectiveness assessment Standards prioritize a frank assessment by the governing board. This process helps trustworthy charities use donations wisely, refine their strategies, and better fulfill their mission.
We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to give.org/charity-inquiry if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.
