Charities seeking BBB Accreditation begin by sharing information about their governance, finances, results reporting, and fundraising practices so that BBB Wise Giving Alliance or a participating regional Better Business Bureau can evaluate the organization against the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.
There Is No Charge for the Charity Assessment
There is no charge for charities to participate in the BBB charity accountability assessment.
Why Charity Disclosure Matters
Who Reviews Your Charity?
Depending on whether your charity solicits nationally or locally, the evaluation may be conducted by BBB Wise Giving Alliance or by a participating regional Better Business Bureau. Nationally soliciting charities are evaluated by BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Locally soliciting charities may be evaluated by a participating regional BBB.
BBB Charity Accreditation Process at a Glance
Charities seeking BBB Accreditation generally move through the following steps:
- Enroll your charity
- Complete the online questionnaire and submit requested materials
- Materials are reviewed against the BBB Charity Standards
- A draft report is shared with the charity
- Charity may clarify or address findings
- Final report is published on Give.org
- Reports may be updated if circumstances change
Complete the Charity Questionnaire
The first step in accreditation is disclosing financial, governance, results reporting, and fundraising information on Give.org. This is accomplished by completing a password-protected online questionnaire form.
Enroll Your Charity in the Accreditation Process
How the BBB Charity Standards Are Applied
Your questionnaire and submitted materials are reviewed against the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. Charities are encouraged to review the Standards, explanations, and implementation guide to better understand how each Standard is applied during the evaluation process.
Review the 20 BBB Charity Standards and Implementation Guide
Charity Review and Draft Report
A draft report detailing the evaluation conclusions is shared with the charity prior to posting on Give.org.
Not all charities that disclose information are initially able to meet all 20 BBB Charity Standards. When issues are identified, BBB Wise Giving Alliance or the participating regional BBB will work with the charity to explain the findings and identify steps the organization may take to address them.
This often gives the charity an opportunity to clarify information, provide additional materials, or address findings before the report is finalized.
Final Report Publication on Give.org
Once the review is complete, the final report is published on Give.org. Overall, the process seeks to help charities strengthen practices while also developing a report to help donors make informed giving decisions.
Search Charity Reports on Give.org
Accreditation Process Infographic
The infographic below summarizes the BBB Charity Accreditation Process from enrollment through report publication.
View the Accreditation Process Infographic
Updating a Charity Report After Publication
Once a charity report has been published, if your organization is found to not meet one or more Standards, keep in mind that our findings are not set in stone.
If something changes that you believe would demonstrate that a Standard has been met and you’d like to update your charity’s report, please reach out to the analyst who worked with you on your report or send a message to us at info@give.org.
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