BBB Wise Giving Alliance is a 501(c)(3) public charity that works to help the public identify trustworthy national charities by evaluating them rigorously in relation to the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. The organizations that formed BBB WGA have over a century of experience in reporting on charities.

While BBB Wise Giving Alliance focuses on nationally-soliciting charities, Better Business Bureaus in the U.S. and Canada report on regionally soliciting charities.

There is no charge for the accreditation evaluation.

One of our goals with the charity evaluation process is to help strengthen charity practices. The BBB Standards for Charity Accountability cover a wide range of topics that go beyond financial ratios and formulas. Charities who work with BBB WGA to meet these Standards are fulfilling expectations many donors have about the organizations they support. In addition, the public, including media, can access the resulting reports at Give.org, one of the most frequently visited donor information sites in the nation.

Over a three-year period, these standards were developed with significant input from charities, foundations, fundraisers, regulators, accountants and other experts in philanthropy. They were produced in an open process, issuing drafts and soliciting input from the public and the charitable community before finalizing the standards.

Visit the following link and click on the implementation box to view detailed information on how the standard is applied in BBB reporting..

BBB WGA will prepare a draft BBB Wise Giving Report in relation to the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, and, after the draft is sent to the organization for review and comment, BBB WGA will make a final report available to the public at Give.org

We welcome any information from a charity that might affect the content and conclusions of our report. Findings can be amended at any time after a report has been published if the charity provides documentation of changes.

The BBB Charity Standards are voluntary. They go beyond what the law requires. (With the caveat that one provision calls on the Governing Board to ensure that the charity complies with applicable government regulation.) Most charities, in our experience, operate well within the law. But just being law-abiding isn’t likely to attract public support. Donors want to see that charities are ready, voluntarily, to show their commitment to openness and ethical conduct.

If a charity is found to meet all 20 of the BBB Charity Standards, it is called a BBB Accredited Charity. There is no charge for this accreditation evaluation.

A BBB Accredited Charity has the option of licensing a BBB charity seal for a sliding scale fee which can be placed on the charity’s website and appeals.