Category: Wise Giving Wednesday

Wise Giving Wednesday: Similar Sounding Charity Names
It is common practice for a charity’s name to include the disease, problem or issue that the charity seeks to address. So, for example, charities that address animal issues, diabetes, or the homeless, are likely to include those words as part of their name. From a marketing perspective, it helps donors and others know what type of charity is approaching them. On the other hand, for certain causes, this can result in a crowded field with hundreds of organizations including one or more similar words as part of their name.

Most of the time this name similarity problem is unintentional and just reflects the popularity of the charity’s cause. There are circumstances, however, where questionable organizations seek to confuse donors who may not recognize that the charity soliciting them is not the same one they have in mind. In BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s experience, this problem is particularly acute for charities that address cancer and veterans issues.

In recent years, U.S. government agency enforcement actions alerted the public to the potential for misleading charity appeals. In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission, state Attorneys General and state charity regulators announced their “Donate With Honor” initiative to crackdown on questionable appeals claiming to help veterans or active duty service members. In 2015, a similar combined press event was held by the Federal Trade Commission and state charity regulators against three cancer charities that engaged in deceptive practices.

To help avoid donor confusion on name similarity, here are some suggestions:

Look at the name carefully. This may seem like an obvious point to avoid charity name confusion, but we sometimes are not as careful as we could be because of other demands on our time and attention.

Address verification. Don’t assume the charity is located in the city and/or state appearing on the return envelope in a direct mail appeal. For large mailings, it is common for charities to use a different address, such as a P.O. Box, to help provide security and ensure prompt depositing of contributions. So, if you are just using the address to verify the identity of the charity, you may be mistaken.

Visit the Charity’s Website. This can help you verify the organization’s location, current activities, and if you have potentially confused it with another group.

Be Wary of Pressure to Donate Immediately. Excessive pressure in fundraising can unfortunately also be used as a means of reducing your likelihood of checking out the charity before donating.

Check with third-party evaluators. Visit the charity reports on Give.org and at your BBB to verify if it meets the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.

Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide a video featuring Nancy Kelly, MHS, Executive Director of Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) (a BBB Accredited Charity) which seeks to improve the availability and quality of health care through education, training and professional development of the health workforce in resource-scarce countries. The organization reports that each year, health professionals complete more than 500 HVO volunteer assignments, contributing over 7,000 days of volunteer service at more than 80 HVO project sites around the world.

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:
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.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020
Wise Giving Wednesday: Matching Gifts and Impact Claims
It can be challenging to provide potential donors with incentives to make a contribution in view of so many competing interests in today’s marketplace. This is why many charities engage in matching gift appeals that announce a third-party has promised to match every dollar donated in a specified time period, usually with a required threshold (e.g., “we must raise at least $50,000 or lose the match.”)

We are disappointed, however, to see a growing trend for some matching gift appeals to include another promise about the “impact” of the charity, here some excerpts from actual past promotions:

Matching Drive – Double your impact!

Your Donation + Matching Gift = Double the Impact!

Now is the perfect time to make a donation to [ABC charity] – because your gift will have twice the impact! [XYZ person] has generously agreed to match, dollar-for-dollar, all individual donations up to $ 1 million.

Donations made to [ABC Charity] from now through the end of 201X will have double the impact! Every dollar donated to [ABC charity] will unlock a $1 donation from [XYZ Corporation] up to $740,000.

Some might conclude that the word “impact” in this context is intended to be synonymous with a reference to financial matching. The problem is there has been much discussion within the charitable community in recent years about the importance of charity impact: how effective has a charity been in addressing its announced goal(s) and mission? As a result, fundraising promotions need to be careful how the impact word is used. Few would suggest that more money represents a dollar for dollar increase in a charity’s impact. Due to the diversity of charity missions and goals and the numerous influences on any particular issue, the measurement of impact can be a complicated task that is unlikely to have a universal approach.

Words matter, especially in these social-media driven times when fewer of them can be pressed into service. When BBB Wise Giving Alliance has asked charities to substantiate the references to “impact” appearing in matching gift appeals, the contacted organizations usually agree to change their language to avoid creating a misimpression about the effectiveness of the charity’s activities.

To learn more about the charity impact issue and find out how the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability address this matter, visit our previous blog on this subject:

Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide a video featuring Kim Callinan, CEO, Compassion & Choices (a BBB Accredited Charity) that seeks to provide education, advocacy, media outreach and litigation to expand end-of-life options and improve medical care. The organization reports it works nationwide in state legislatures, Congress, courts, medical settings and communities to empower people with information and tools, including its free consultation program, to receive healthcare that is consistent with their values and priorities as they approach the end of life.

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:
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.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020
Wise Giving Wednesday: BBB WGA Presentation at National Health Council Conference
Last week, the National Health Council held its 2018 Health Leadership Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is a membership organization that includes over 100 national health-related organizations such as voluntary health agencies, nonprofits with an interest in health, professional associations, as well as businesses involved in health care products and/or services that collectively “work for health care that meets the personal needs and goals of people with chronic diseases and disabilities.” This annual gathering included CEOs as well as other senior executives from these organizations.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Chief Operating Officer, Bennett Weiner, participated in a panel that discussed how charity evaluators address the issue of measuring impact. In his remarks, he noted that as a standards-based charity evaluator, BBB WGA focuses on a variety of issues in the comprehensive BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. Since 2003, however, two of these standards (Standards 6 and 7), specifically address issues related to results reporting (also called effectiveness or impact assessments) that note it is essential for organizations to regularly make time to assess their past performance and define their future goals and actions. Standard 6 calls for the board to have a policy of completing such assessments every two years. Standard 7 seeks to ensure the charity governing board is provided with a written report on this assessment (i.e., how well it is addressing its mission.)

These standards do not require charities to conduct expensive long-term or longitudinal studies, but can be achieved by much more modest means. As an example see the Charting Impact 5-question results-reporting format recommended in the 2011 collaborative project that BBB WGA had with Independent Sector and GuideStar.

In his concluding remarks, Bennett recognized that while information on a charity’s impact can serve as a helpful supplement for donors and other stakeholders to consider, such information, by its nature, will always be historical, looking backward. To help charities engage in more forward-thinking efforts, BBB WGA encourages organizations to seek out collaborations with others that share their mission interests and find ways to accomplish more together than they could have achieved by working separately. For more information on collaboration, visit our January 10^th blog or review the Advancing Collaboration page on our website: http://www.give.org/advancing-collaboration/

Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide a video featuring Linda Webb, Executive Director, Ally’s House (a BBB Accredited Charity) that provides financial assistance to the families of Oklahoma pediatric cancer patients. The financial assistance covers expenses such as medical costs, housing, transportation to and from treatment, and household utilities. It also sponsors a summer camp for patients between the ages of 9-17.

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:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://www.give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020
Wise Giving Wednesday: Summer Camps and Charity
As we leave spring and approach summer, schools are completing the academic year and many families look forward to sending children to one of a variety of summer camps that can address almost every sport, music, art or scientific interest. While many families cannot afford such opportunities, there are a number of “philanthropy camps” that might offer fresh air, instruction, field trips and games to needy youth. You may be solicited to help children have summer opportunities they would not otherwise access.

If so, keep the following philanthropy camp tips in mind:
- Specialization: Philanthropy camps usually specialize in some way, whether it be helping children in poverty-stricken homes or catering to the needs of seriously ill children. Don’t assume what the camps do based on their names alone. Read the appeal carefully and look at the descriptive that appears on its website.
- Qualifications: Find out about the qualifications and training of the camp’s staff. For example, if the camp is addressing the needs of children with diabetes or with learning disabilities, does the staff have appropriate backgrounds and training to handle such circumstances? Having good intentions alone does not provide sufficient background to manage such circumstances. Also, does the camp conduct criminal background checks on all of its personnel?
- Licensing: States can vary in terms of what health and other regulations that children’s camps must follow. See if the camp’s materials indicate what licensing and permits they hold.
- Trustworthiness: Check out Give.org or the BBB in your area to see if there is a current report on the charity camp that indicates if the charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. Keep in mind that sometimes these camps are separate organizations devoted to providing this help for kids. In other cases, they might be a program of a larger cause that is addressing poverty, health or religious issues.
Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide a video featuring Delaney Gracy, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Children’s Health Fund (a BBB Accredited Charity) which seeks to deliver health care to disadvantaged children. Among other things, it has a national network that operates in 17 states and the District of Columbia that help reach over 75,000 individuals each year.

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.

Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://www.give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020
Wise Giving Wednesday: Passing Wise Giving Habits to Children
An online national survey of 1,004 American parents, commissioned by BBB Wise Giving Alliance, found that 61 percent of Millennial parents (ages 18-35) have talked about charity with their children in the past year, and they are introducing their children to more types of charity than parents of older generations. Millennials were most likely to talk with their young about disaster relief, animal protection, environmental, and health charities.

According to the survey, half of Millennial parents research charities before donating, compared to 37 percent of both Generation X (ages 36-51) and Baby Boomers (ages 52-70), and 29 percent of the Silent generation (ages 71-88). A helpful infographic summarizing these results can be found here.

Whatever the trigger(s), the BBB Wise Giving Alliance stands as a ready resource that helps donors verify the trustworthiness of charities. Our detailed evaluative reports specify if a charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, which identify expected behaviors on charity governance, finances, results reporting and appeal accuracy.

Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series we are pleased to provide a video that features an interview with Jaime Berman Matyas, President and Chief Executive Officer, Student Conservation Association, (a BBB Accredited Charity). They have been involved in building the next generation of conservation leaders and encouraging environmental stewardship since 1957.

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:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://www.give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020
Wise Giving Wednesday: Environmental Organizations
The United Nations Climate Change Conference is taking place in Paris this week as world leaders gather to discuss global warming and other important environmental matters. Protests have taken place around the world to encourage leaders to take significant actions to address climate issues. This spotlight on the environment during the holiday season will also bring donor attention to charitable organizations that address environmental issues.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance reports on a variety of nationally-soliciting environmental groups seeking to address public awareness as well as take action on issues ranging from preserving wildlife to protecting the oceans and forests. Everyone recognizes the importance of protecting natural resources, but we also encourage donors to take the time to verify the trustworthiness of environmental charities by visiting Give.org to verify that they meet the 20 holistic BBB Standards for Charity Accountability (i.e., BBB Accredited Charities.) And, if you are more interested in helping environmental groups closer to home, keep in mind that many of the BBBs report on regionally soliciting charities that are engaged in local efforts to do their part in helping the environment.

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide the following video that features Robin Perkins, Director of Marketing and Communications for EarthShare (a BBB Accredited Charity) which annually helps hundreds of thousands of individuals connect with environmental and conservation charities. Among other things, they assist a number of workplace giving campaigns. Workplace giving also happens to be the subject of the cover story of the holiday edition of the Wise Giving Guide.

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:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://www.give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020
Wise Giving Wednesday: Helping Victims of California Wildfires
At the time this blog is being written, the wildfires in Southern California continue to spread, although the wind is reporting to decrease somewhat. CNN reports that a 1,000 homes and other structures have been lost to the blaze and the fire warnings now cover an area that impact 1 million residents.

2017 has seen its share of hurricanes, floods, mass shootings, earthquakes and other disasters and tragedies. It’s hard to keep track of them all. The outpouring of public concern and generosity has been extraordinary. For some reason, however, fires don’t receive as much fundraising response as some of the other disasters. A small number (compared to earlier disasters) of nationally-soliciting relief organizations have referenced activities on their websites that describe efforts to help those in need in California. From what we have seen, most of the appeal activity involves more regional charities and/or crowdfunding campaigns to assist specific families.

BBB’s Give.org, nevertheless, reminds donors to give thoughtfully to avoid questionable solicitation efforts.
- Give to vetted charities. Visit Give.org to find out if the charity engaged in relief activities for the California fires meets the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. To help you get started, the following nationally-soliciting relief organizations meet the BBB Charity Standards and are engaged in activities to assist victims of the California wildfires: American Red Cross, Direct Relief and Salvation Army.
- Crowdfunding cautions. If you are considering donating to a crowdfunding posting raising money for a victim of the California fires, it is safest to give to families or individuals that you know personally. Not all crowdfunding sites have sufficient procedures to verify the accuracy of postings.
- Charity appeals should specify funded activities. Be wary of relief appeals from charities that have vague program descriptions and do not identify what activities will be funded through the money raised.
- Watch out for click-bait or phishing scams. Online giving scams tend to pop up after a disaster or tragedy to take advantage of public sympathy. Don’t click on links in email, text, or social media messages promising to connect you to familiar charities; go to the website of these groups on your own.
- Registered to solicit? Most states require charities to register with a state government agency (usually a division of the either the Office of the Attorney General or Secretary of State) before they can solicit for contributions. Visit the applicable government agency’s website to find out more.
Before this blog comes to a close, we want to acknowledge that this is the 150^th entry for Wise Giving Wednesday. We covered a lot of ground on a variety of charity topics these past three years, but we hope our information has been helpful to the community of donors who use our website to assist their contribution decisions.

Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide a video that features Melinda Kotzian, CEO, Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (a BBB Accredited Charity) that seeks to find a cure and eradicate mesothelioma as a life-ending disease through its collaboration with patients and families, physicians, advocates and researchers.

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:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://www.give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020
Wise Giving Wednesday: November 29th is #GivingTuesday
For the fifth year, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States has been designated as #GivingTuesday, the day to make donations to charity. Started by the New York-based organization, 92Y, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, #GivingTuesday raised over $116 million dollars in online donations last year from over 700,000 donors. In addition to the national campaign, there are now a number of regional campaigns in the U.S. as well as activities in over 20 countries.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance has been helping to promote #GivingTuesday for the past four years by encouraging donors to make thoughtful giving decisions. We urge contributors to find out more about the organization(s) before sending donation(s) and visit Give.org to verify if the charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability .

To assist donors, BBB WGA offers the following #Giving Tuesday Checklist
1. Decide Together. Sit down with your family or friends to discuss the causes and charities that are most meaningful to you. This will help narrow your search before making a donation.
2. Watch Out for Name Similarity. Charities raising money for the same cause can have names that sound similar. Avoid cases of mistaken identity by looking at the name carefully.
3. What Does the Charity Do? A charity’s name won’t necessarily reflect the nature of its program activities. Review the charity’s appeals and website to make sure you know how it plans to address the problems it describes so well.
4. Verify Your Charity. Visit Give.org to verify that your charity of choice is trustworthy and transparent.
Discover more tips on how to make a wise giving decision provided at Give.org.

Of related interest, click below to listen to a recent Council of Better Business Bureaus podcast, “The Bistro,” featuring Giving Tuesday. More information about this new podcast series (which is also available on iTunes) can be found here.

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:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://www.give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020
Wise Giving Wednesday: Fundraising Photos
Several days ago, a CBS story reported that a couple in New York was arrested for allegedly using social media and other communications to defraud donors by raising money using a picture of a boy fighting cancer. This reminds all of us of the need to be vigilant in verifying charitable requests before making a gift. Sometimes photographs can stir our sympathetic emotions to get us to contribute without ensuring that our generosity will indeed be used for the purpose identified.

It also points to the advantages of contributing to an established charity, as opposed to an individual seeking help. A charity can be vetted in terms of (1) its proper registration with state government authorities (about 40 of the 50 states in the U.S. have such state agencies which are usually a division of the State Attorney General’s office or the Secretary of State) and (2) by visiting Give.org to verify if they meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. However, it is much more difficult to determine if an individual posting a personal financial request is telling the truth.

In terms of phony requests for help, the public needs to be especially careful after a disaster or tragedy when people may be using names and photos of victims without the families’ permission. And when visiting crowdfunding websites, remember that not all sites operate in the same way in terms of how much checking takes place before people post requests for help.

They say “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but the false use of a photo might be summed up in one word: con.

On a separate note, as part of our Building Trust Video series, we are pleased to provide a video of Dorothy Poppe, Executive Director, Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundation (a BBB Accredited Charity) which seeks to advance knowledge through research and to educate the medical, allied sciences, and lay community about Chiari malformation, syringomyelia and related disorders.

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:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://www.give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020
Wise Giving Wednesday: Spring Cleaning Donation Options
As we enter the spring months and perhaps develop the courage to clean our closets and consider making in-kind donations to charities of the things we don’t use or no longer fit, consider these tips to help avoid being disappointed in how these contributions are used.

Keep, donate or trash? Don’t assume that charities will accept all second-hand items. Usually, they are looking for items in “good” condition. Ripped sweatshirts or torn jeans will likely be rejected. If uncertain about what the charity will accept, contact them before making the gift.

Drop-off collection bins. Most metropolitan areas have a variety of collection bins scattered throughout the community that welcome donated clothing. Don’t assume all of them are connected to charity. Be wary of names you don’t know or are similar to ones you do. In some cases, a bin may belong to a for-profit company. Take the time to check out the charity name that appears on the bin with Give.org or BBB.org to verify if they meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.

How will donated clothing be used? Don’t assume all donated used goods are distributed to the needy. Sometimes they end up in a charity thrift store to generate revenue for the organization. Or some may sell items to a third party to be converted into rag bond paper. Visit the charities website to find out how they intend to use donated clothing.

Collection trucks. Another possibility is that a charity may contact you by phone or mail and ask that you set out goods for collection on a specified date. If so, contact the charity to find out how they will benefit. In some instances, a third-party picks up the donated goods and the identified charity only gets a flat fee for each pick-up no matter what is included.

Deductibility. Some donors mistakenly believe the charity will assign values to the goods you donate. Actually, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are properly valuing these gifts. One potential reference is to visit a charity thrift store to identify the typical prices of similar items. For any non-cash contributions totaling over $500, you will need to complete and attach IRS Form 8283 to your next tax return. For more deductibility information, consult an accountant and/or go to: IRS Publication 526: Charitable Contributions.

Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to revisit a 2016 video featuring Lieutenant Colonel Ron Busroe, National Communications and Development Secretary of The Salvation Army’s National Headquarters in the United States (a BBB Accredited Charity). The Salvation Army works through a network of 7,580 facilities in communities throughout the United States. The organization services include providing shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, daycare services for the elderly, assistance for the disabled, job training for displaced individuals, Bible classes for people in prison, relief for disaster victims, after-school tutoring, youth camps, and recreation activities for children.

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:
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.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
July 17, 2020