Learning from Organizational Transformation

“Nothing is constant but change,” which means effective charities must learn to be responsive. But adaptability and transformation are easier said than done, as they call for deep introspective work, openness to taking risks, and a willingness to think creatively about an organization’s capabilities – all while not losing sight of the organization’s mission.

BBB Accredited Charity CHC: Creating Healthier Communities recently went through a multi-year and purposeful process to transform from an organization uniquely focused on collecting and redistributing resources to one that works with partners to advance community health and health equity. In collaboration with CHC, BBB Wise Giving Alliance interviewed CHC leaders to record and share takeaways around renovating their identity, keeping a long-term view while advancing methodically, collaborating, integrating diverse communities, and building trust. As put by Thomas G. Bognanno, president and CEO of CHC (retiring March 31, 2023), “With many nonprofits, there’s a strong and understandable need for self-perpetuation. But once we made the decision that self-perpetuation was not our mission, the board had the freedom to examine the mission.” We hope the lessons learned and shared by CHC will be helpful to other organizations working through meaningful transitions.”

To that end, we invite you to watch an introductory video, or read our report 10 Lessons in Organizational Transformation – What CHC: Creating Healthier Communities’ Story Tells Us About Effective Strategic Evolution. For those who would appreciate learning more from CHC leadership directly, we invite you to register for a follow-up video conversation on March 28th.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance recognizes that many charities face volatile, uncertain, and complex issues. The lessons learned by CHC may help both charities and donors better understand how such challenges can be overcome. 

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Video of the Week

As part of the Building Trust Video Series, BBB Wise Giving Alliance interviews Rabih Torbay, President and CEO of Project Hope (a BBB Accredited Charity.)  Mr. Torbay talks about the organization’s relief efforts in Turkey and Syria after the devastating earthquake.

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Heart of Giving Podcast

In this week’s Heart of Giving Podcast. Laura Pachon, a DePaul University graduate student, serve as guest host and interviews Art Taylor, President and CEO, BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

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Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• Read to Them
• St. Baldrick’s Foundation
• Disability Rights Mississippi

Finally, remember to let us know by going to www.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.

 

Tips on Supporting Ukraine Relief, One Year Later

A year ago, BBB Wise Giving Alliance wrote in Wise Giving Wednesday about donating to Ukraine relief charities and completed seven subsequent entries. These blogs addressed the surge of Ukrainians to neighboring countries, transportation and distribution obstacles, and the many charitable organizations that were soliciting to help refugees as well as those remaining in Ukraine. There was a generous outpouring of American donors who contributed billions of dollars. Twelve months later, the war continues, and although contributions have diminished, charities carry on their assistance work and welcome support.

Finding Trustworthy Charities Addressing Ukraine Relief

With this in mind, here are some tips to consider in providing additional funding to help Ukraine.

Competing tragedies 

In the past year, the world has seen more than its share of disasters and tragedies such as earthquakes, severe weather and mass shootings. So, it is not surprising that an area with long-term devastation, such as the war in Ukraine, has a hard time sustaining continuing charitable assistance. Even if you have previously contributed, consider revisiting your support to help those in need.

Evolving activities

Check the relief charity’s website to see what activities they are currently carrying out in Ukraine. For example, Save the Children (a BBB Accredited Charity) includes the story of an aid worker in Ukraine that explains how the charity has assisted children in the past year in a variety of ways

Remember refugees

Consider the millions of people that fled Ukraine to other countries. There are organizations that continue to provide help to these refugee populations by addressing emergency shelter, food and medicine. For example, USA for UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency (a BBB Accredited Charity).

Individuals at high risk

As reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy there are certain individuals in Ukraine or refugees at high risk such as those with critical health issues or disabilities, displaced children, and older people. Also, efforts are needed to prevent gender-based violence and human trafficking.

Experienced, established charities

Donating to experienced, established relief charities based in the United States is best since you can more easily vet them. Find those that are BBB Accredited (i.e., meet all the BBB Charity Standards). Review the list of organizations on our previous blog and don’t forget to visit their respective websites to identify the nature of their current Ukraine assistance efforts.

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Video of the Week

As part of the Building Trust Video Series, BBB Wise Giving Alliance interviews John and Merline Engle, Co-Directors of Haiti Partners (a BBB Accredited Charity) that offers education for over 1500 students in six partner schools and its flagship school, the Children’s Academy and Learning Center. The organization supports schools that help children realize their potential while driving community development and lifelong learning. Haiti Partners also provides families with home gardening kits to grow their own food.

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Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast interviews Luke Mickelson, the Founder and Executive Director of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to building and delivering handmade, fully furnished bunk beds to needy children.

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Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• Earthwatch Institute
• Operation Serve International
• Marshall Legacy Institute

Finally, remember to let us know by going to www.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.

According to the latest available statistics from the IRS, in 2021 there were 1.9 million tax exempt organizations in the United States. The bulk of these, 1.4 million (72%), are tax-exempt as charities under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In fact, the actual total number of charities is higher since this IRS figure does not include houses of worship as well as small organizations (with gross revenues less than $5,000) which are both not required to apply for 501(c)(3) status in order to have charitable tax-exempt status.

These impressive totals do not provide the complete picture. As reported in the latest Independent Sector quarterly review, The Health of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector, “Historically, the nonprofit sector is the third-largest employer in the U.S. economy and grows jobs four times faster than for-profit organizations” and represents 6.6 percent of the overall workforce. This publication also reports that in the third quarter of 2022, nonprofits contributed $1.5 trillion to the economy.    

About 12 million people work in the nonprofit sector which is equivalent in size to the total number of people employed in manufacturing. This paid nonprofit workforce is further assisted by the 60.7 million people who volunteered between September 2020 and 2021, comprising 23.2 percent of the U.S. population. As estimated by AmeriCorps, this represents 4.1 billion hours with an economic value of $122.9 billion. This total number of volunteers reflects a 7 percent drop from the previous year which, in part, is due to the impact of Covid-19.

While some might think of just soup kitchens and animal shelters when asked about charities, the actual size, scope, and diversity of missions are reflected in hundreds of thousands of organizations that work tirelessly each day to address society’s needs.

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Video of the Week

As part of BBB WGA’s Building Trust Video Series, BBB Wise Giving Alliance interviews Jill Reeder, Interim CEO, Pearl S Buck International (a BBB Accredited Charity) which offers opportunities for international exchange, cultural awareness, and diversity appreciation. Their international programs work with affiliate and partner agencies to deliver health care, education, and psycho-social support to children and their families. 

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Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast, continues with Part 3 of its conversation about “Office Shock,” a book which reimagines the office and show how we can plan for more sustainable ways of working. Art Taylor, President & CEO, BBB Wise Giving Alliance interviews one of the book’s co-authors, Dr. Joseph Press, who addresses the architectural aspects about offices of the future.

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Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• charity:water
• Ally’s House
• Delivering Good

Finally, remember to let us know by going to www.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.

We would like to revisit a Wise Giving Wednesday topic from several years ago that continues to be relevant: the compensation of executives at charitable organizations. Unfortunately, some donors believe that all charities should be run by volunteers. And of those who support paying a staff to run things, they argue the amount should be relatively low. Of course, this is neither fair, practical, or realistic. Charities need to have paid staff to carry out their operations and to deliver the services and activities for which they are created.

Are salaries just “overhead” expenses? 

There is a serious misperception that the amount that charities pay in salaries is part of the organization’s “administrative expenses” also known by the lay term “overhead.” The reality is that charity financial statements appropriately allocate salary expenses among three major expense categories: program services, fundraising and management and general expenses.  These allocations are usually based on the actual or estimated portion of staff time spent in carrying out various activities.  For example, conducting research on environmental issues (program services), calling on major donors (fundraising), and meeting expenses for the board of directors (management and general.)  Sometimes a single individual will carry out multiple functions and have a portion of his/her compensation recognized in each of these expense categories. In other cases, a staff member will have all his/her salary allocated to just one expense category, such as an accounting staff member’s salary recognized as management and general expense. 

Is executive compensation of charity staff members considered public information? 

Compensation information of the charity’s officers and key employees is routinely included as part of the IRS Form 990, the annual financial form completed by charities (other than houses of worship.)  This transparency of compensation information has been a fact of life for charities for decades.  While this openness is sometimes a challenging concept for former business executives who join the paid staff of a charity, most executives recognize this transparency as a routine aspect of philanthropy that is different than the private sector. In response to donor interest in this area, BBB Wise Giving Alliance routinely includes the total compensation of the charity’s CEO in its evaluative reports on soliciting charities. 

Who is responsible for setting charity executive compensation? 

Determining the compensation of the charity’s chief executive officer is one of the basic responsibilities of an organization’s board of directors. The governing board usually considers a variety of factors, including but not limited to: information gathered from nonprofit salary surveys, the geographic location of the charity’s offices, and the size of the organization finances and staff. One would not expect the CE0 of a $100 million charity to be paid the same wage as the CEO of a charity that brings in $1 million. In any event, solely considering compensation will not provide a complete picture of a charity’s trustworthiness. Refer to the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability to better understand key factors that help verify trust. 

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Heart of Giving Podcast

For this week’s Heart of Giving Podcast, BBB WGA continues with Part 2 of its conversation with Bob Johansen about his recent book, “Office Shock,” which reimagines the office and shows how we can plan for more sustainable ways of working. Mr. Johansen is affiliated with the Institute for the Future and has authored or co-authored various books and articles.

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Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• Project WET Foundation
• Players Philanthropy Fund
• NeedyMeds

Finally, remember to let us know by going to www.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.

The latest news reports are estimating over 40,000 deaths due to last week’s earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The size and scope of this disaster are      heart wrenching and difficult to comprehend. Search teams are continuing to look for survivors buried in the debris, although the chances of finding people still alive grow dim. Keep in mind, however, that as disasters go through several phases of activity, the urgent charitable needs continue, and there will be many opportunities to support charities seeking to help.

Rescue Phase – This phase of activity takes place immediately as trained search teams, medical workers and others carry out their life saving work. Media also quickly arrive on the scene and provide images of damaged homes, broken roads, and people in danger. This is the phase of activity that gets the most emotional response from potential donors. They are moved to do something to help and turn to charitable giving as a means to assist those in need.

Relief Phase – Most of the donation activity is directed to organizations involved with the relief phase which provides shelter, meals, clothing, blankets, water and other essentials for victims and their families. BBB Wise Giving Alliance recommends that contributors seek out charities that have experience in disaster relief activities and already have a presence in the impacted areas. That usually provides the quickest means to deliver aid to as many people as possible. Newly established organizations and/or charities with no disaster experience may have the best of intentions but will have significant challenges in being able to fulfill promises, particularly for the distribution of needed goods and supplies.

Recovery Phase – The last phase of disaster activity usually takes the longest to accomplish: the recovery phase. This involves community efforts to rebuild after the physical damage has been done. Charities and other organizations will be involved in helping families build homes, schools, houses of worship and repair roads. This phase can take considerable time and huge sums of money. Unfortunately, the fundraising for these operations usually takes place after the headlines have passed and the media cameras are gone. Donors can still be motivated to donate but will need to be reminded of the unfilled needs that must be addressed so a community can truly heal.

Click here, to access the previous Wise Giving Wednesday which includes a list of BBB Accredited Charities (i.e., meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability) that have announced on their respective websites that they are collecting funds to assist earthquake relief efforts.

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Heart of Giving Podcast

For this week’s Heart of Giving Podcast, BBB WGA interviews Denver Frederick, a Certified Professional Executive Coach who works exclusively with leaders in the social sector. He is the host of The Business Giving podcast and the author of the book The Business of Giving, which provides guidance for nonprofits during turbulent social and economic times.

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Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• National Parks Conservation Association
• Operation Healing Forces
• Guiding Eyes for the Blind

Finally, remember to let us know by going to www.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.

The latest news about the devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey on Monday report over 6,000 deaths and 5,000 buildings collapsed. Search and rescue efforts seek to find trapped people, as foreign rescue teams are on their way to help. To assist donors seeking to support these efforts, BBB Wise Giving Alliance is providing the following giving tips along with a list of BBB Accredited Charities (i.e., those that meet all 20 of the BBB Charity Standards) that announced on their respective websites that they are collecting funds for earthquake relief.

APPEAL CLARITY IS KEY. Seek appeals that are upfront and clear about what disaster relief services you are supporting. A previous Give.org Donor Trust Report issued by BBB Wise Giving Alliance showed that only 24% of donors believe disaster relief appeals are “clear.”

CONTRIBUTE TO EXPERIENCED GROUPS. Support experienced organizations that stand ready to provide quick and effective assistance. Be cautious of newly formed organizations in the wake of a disaster. While well intended, they may not be able to follow through on their announced activities.

LOOK FOR CHARITIES WITH ON-THE-GROUND PRESENCE. If the charity already has skilled operations in affected areas, they will be in a better position to provide help quickly and reach those in need. Also, some charities may be raising money to pass along to other relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and give directly to charities that have a presence in the region.

UNDERSTANDING CROWDFUNDING. If considering crowdfunding, it is safest to give to someone you personally know and trust. Also, review the platform’s policies and procedures, keeping in mind that while some crowdfunding sites take measures to vet posts, others don’t.

GIVE MONEY RATHER THAN GOODS. Donating money is the quickest way to help and provides charities the flexibility to channel resources to impacted areas.

VERIFY CHARITY TRUSWORTHINESS.  You can verify a charity’s trustworthiness by viewing an evaluative report completed by BBB Wise Giving Alliance.  See the list provided below of charities that that are soliciting for relief assistance for Pakistan and that also meet the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.

The following organizations are BBB Accredited Charities (i.e., meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability) and currently announced on their respective websites that they are collecting funds to assist earthquake relief efforts. Additional BBB Accredited Charities will be added as we learn about their earthquake-related activities.

Alight

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

Americares

Catholic Relief Services

Charities Aid Foundation America

Direct Relief

Embrace Relief Foundation

Global Communities

Global Giving

Global Impact

Helping Hand for Relief and Development

Humanity & Inclusion

International Medical Corps

International Rescue Committee

Islamic Relief USA

MAP International

Mennonite Central Committee

Mercy Corps

Operation USA

Oxfam America

Plan International USA

Project HOPE

Save the Children

USA for UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency

World Relief

World Renew

World Vision

ABOUT BBB WISE GIVING ALLIANCE: BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB’s Give.org) is a standards-based charity evaluator that seeks to verify the trustworthiness of nationally soliciting charities by completing rigorous evaluations based on 20 holistic standards that address charity governance, results reporting, finances, fundraising, appeal accuracy and other issues. National charity reports are produced by BBB’s Give.org and local charity reports are produced by local Better Business Bureaus – all reports are available at Give.org.

ABOUT BBB: The Better Business Bureau has empowered people to find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust for over 110 years. In 2021, people turned to BBB more than 200 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.3 million businesses and Charity Reports on 12,000 charities, for free at BBB.org. The International Association of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

175 years. That impressive amount of time represents the cumulative number of years the dozen staff members of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance have worked towards our mission of strengthening public confidence in charities by promoting wise giving and trustworthy charity practices. While two have been here less than three years, seven employees have been doing this work for a decade or more. That devotion to the cause is reflected in our daily work — the evaluative reports produced on charities, the annual survey research completed on donor trust, our public outreach on giving tips during times of disasters and tragedy, the weekly Heart of Giving podcast interviews of charity executives, the publication of our Wise Giving Guide magazine, our donation platform utilizing blockchain technology for participating BBB Accredited Charities, and other efforts addressing donor trust in charities.

Experience is not the only asset reflected in our labors. Most research staff members have a master’s degree in nonprofit management or a related field of study and have experience working and/or volunteering in a charitable organization before joining BBB WGA. They are also well-trained in the application of the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability that address charity governance, finances, results reporting, appeal accuracy and transparency. This work is much more than a review of a charity’s financial statements and generally involves detailed correspondence with charity executives that explain our findings and identify what can be done to amend concerns brought to their attention. These special skills are used in each completed evaluation. A report showing that a charity meets the BBB Charity Standards represents many hours of work, sometimes involving communications stretching over several weeks or more, before the final report copy is posted on Give.org.

Experience and expertise are strengthened by the staff’s commitment to excellence in their work. We’re committed to accurate conclusions but also recognize the importance of extenuating circumstances that a charity may bring to our attention. Donors may not be aware what is involved in carrying out these charity monitoring activities. These qualities are additional reasons donors can have confidence in the use of our materials to verify charity trustworthiness.

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Heart of Giving Podcast

For this week’s Heart of Giving Podcast, BBB WGA chats with Bob Johansen and Christine Bullen. Both are affiliated with the Institute for the Future and have authored or co-authored various books and articles. The podcast features a discussion of their book, “Office Shock” which reimagines the office and shows how we can plan for more sustainable ways of working.

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Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• Living Water International
• National Forest Foundation
• American Heart Association

Finally, remember to let us know by going to www.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.

In the past week, we learned the heartbreaking news that eleven people were killed in a mass shooting that took place at a Monterey Park, California dance studio that was celebrating the Lunar New Year. This was followed by an unrelated shooting incident days later when seven people were killed at a mushroom farm at Half Moon Bay, California. For those seeking to help the victims and their families, we are providing the following tips about donating in response to tragedy-related philanthropy.

Will the appeal respect families of victims?
As charitable organizations and/or crowdfunding postings raise funds to help, they also should get permission from the families to use either the names of the victims and/or any photographs of them. Don’t assume there is an official connection if photos are displayed.

How will contributions be used?
Be cautious about vague appeals that don’t identify the intended use of funds. For example, is money being collected for funeral expenses or other family needs? Also, unless told otherwise, donors will assume that contributed funds quickly collected after a tragedy will be distributed or spent just as quickly. Be mindful of public announcements that describe family assistance to help avoid donating to duplicative efforts.

Are donations tax deductible?
Contributions that are donor-restricted to help a specific individual/family are not deductible in the U.S. as charitable donations, even if the recipient organization is a charity. See IRS Publication 526, page 7, for more information on this subject.  

What should be considered in crowdfunding requests?
It is not unusual for fundraising to start within hours after a tragedy has occurred. Please keep in mind that while some crowdfunding sites take precautions in carefully screening, vetting, and managing postings after a tragedy, others might not. If unsure, review the posting procedures described on the crowdfunding site and find out about transaction fees and other specifics.

How do you verify charity trustworthiness?
Tragedies can generate donation requests from a variety of organizations seeking to help victims of violence or advocate on related issues. As always, we remind donors to check out charities by visiting Give.org to verify if the charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability (i.e., a BBB Accredited Charity). Be cautious about newly created groups that will be difficult to check out.

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Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast is part of the special series “Made by the Bay” sponsored by the Tipping Point Community to feature the work of people in the San Francisco Bay Area, working for the betterment of their community. This week BBB WGA’s guest is Maritza Maldonado, Executive Director at Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment, an organization in San Jose, California, that advances the conditions for learning by helping local families meet their basic needs.

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Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• Mennonite Disaster Service
• Turkish Philanthropy Funds
• World Hope International

Finally, remember to let us know by going to www.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.

In today’s consumer marketplace, a quite common practice is for a business to sell products or services with the promise that some of the purchase will benefit a charity. We encourage the public to look for disclosures in such promotions that inform how much the charity will be helped by making such a purchase. BBB Charity Standard 19 calls for these promotions to specify the actual or anticipated amount of the purchase that will help the charity (for example, 5 cents for every box of cereal sold.) Not all advertisements are clear on this point and some use vague language such as “proceeds” or “profits” will go to a charity. In addition, if there is some time limit on the campaign (i.e., during the month of October) or guaranteed minimum /or maximum amount that can be raised (i.e., up to $200,000), those points should also be included in the promotional disclosure.

In turn, businesses seeking to help philanthropy by adopting this type of marketing should take measures to protect their interests as well. Find out if the selected charity is properly registered with the appropriate state government agencies and seek out an evaluative report on Give.org that will specify if the organization meets the 20 BBB Charity Standards. Also, cause related marketing promotions should be covered by a written agreement with the charity that includes, among other things, permission to use the charity’s name or trademark logo, specifies how much of the purchase will go to the charity, and when funds will be distributed to the organization.

Of course, the charity itself should do its due diligence on the business by checking the applicable business report on BBB.org to see if it is a BBB Accredited business and determining if the business’ products and practices reflect the type of company that the charity would be comfortable to partner with on such a promotion.  

Each player in this scenario, the consumer, charity, and the business, have an important role to play. With careful planning and advertising transparency, this can have a successful result for all those involved in the transaction. 

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Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features an interview with Macire Aribot and Nassim Ashford, co-founders of NoirUnited. As stated on their website, the organization is “focused on centering Black and other marginalized people in creating development solutions for their communities. NoirUnited provides community-based development interventions to address social, economic, and political challenges primarily in African descent communities across the globe.” The organization is currently working to advocate, raise funds and provide humanitarian assistance to Black people who are stranded in Ukraine and those who have evacuated to neighboring countries.

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Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• Alzheimer’s Association
• Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
• Girls Who Code

Finally, remember to let us know by going to www.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.

Parts of California are experiencing heavy storms, flooding, mudslides, and rising rivers that could cause damages exceeding $1 billion. Some areas are under evacuation orders. As many will be motivated to help those impacted, BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers the following advice to help make informed giving decisions.

Photos may not mean permission.

Charitable organizations or crowdfunding campaigns raising funds should get permission to use photos and/or names of families/individuals impacted by the flooding. Don’t assume there is an official connection just because photos are displayed.

Relief activities should be identified.

Be cautious about vague appeals that don’t identify the intended use of funds. For example, is money being collected for food, clothing, temporary shelter, or other family needs? Also, unless told otherwise, donors will assume that funds collected immediately after a tragedy will be distributed or spent just as quickly.

Deductibility may not apply.

Contributions that are donor-restricted to help a specific individual/family are not deductible in the U.S. as charitable donations, even if the recipient organization is a charity. See IRS Publication 526, page 7, for more information on this subject. 

Crowdfunding differs from site to site.

Crowdfunding has become so popular that it is not unusual for fundraising to start within hours after a tragedy has occurred. Please keep in mind that while some crowdfunding sites take precautions in carefully screening, vetting, and managing postings during a disaster, others might not. If unsure, review the posting procedures described on the crowdfunding site and find out about transaction fees and other specifics.

Transparency timing is important.

After funds are raised for a tragedy, it is even more important for organizations to provide an accounting of how funds were spent. Transparent organizations will post this information on their websites so that anyone can find out and not have to wait until financial statements are available sometime in the future.

The following organizations are BBB Accredited Charities (i.e., meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability) and currently announce on their websites that they are collecting funds to assist with California storm relief efforts. Additional BBB Accredited Charities will be added as we learn about flood assistance efforts.

American Red Cross – California Relief Activities

Direct Relief – California Relief Activities

GlobalGiving – California Relief Activities

Operation USA– California Relief Activities

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Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features an interview with one of the BBB Luminare Award for Service winners. In 2022, BBB Wise Giving Alliance partnered with the BBB of Great West & Pacific to honor individuals in the service area of this BBB (Alaska, Central Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Western Wyoming) who demonstrate compassion, volunteerism, and community leadership. This episode interviews Brad Dudding, the Chief Impact Officer at The Bail Project, an organization that combats mass incarceration by disrupting the money bail system – one person at a time.

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Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• Adopt-A-Classroom
• Alaska Wilderness League
• Casting for Recovery

Finally, remember to let us know by going to www.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.