Donating to Environmental Organizations

As Monday, April 22 was the fifty-fourth Earth Day celebration many concerned donors will be reminded of the important role of environmental organizations in addressing a variety of issues. The range of activities include advocacy on climate change, natural resource conservation, environmental education, and wildlife protection for endangered species. According to Giving USA, of the $499.33 billion contributed to charities in the U.S. during 2022, $16.1 billion went to environmental organizations.  

As with other causes, we remind donors to look beyond the name of the group and find out more about what they do. Visit their website, read about their accomplishments, and check with Give.org to very if the organization meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability (i.e., a BBB Accredited Charity.)

For your reference, here is a list of nationally soliciting BBB Accredited environmental charities – 

1% for the Planet

Animal Legal Defense Fund

Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Big Life Foundation USA

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Central Park Conservancy

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Defenders of Wildlife

Earthjustice

Earthworks

Food & Water Watch

Friends of the Earth

Mohonk Preserve

National Arbor Day Foundation

National Audubon Society

National Park Trust

National Parks Conservation Association

National Wildlife Federation

Nature Conservancy

NumbersUSA Education and Research Foundation

Ocean Conservancy

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Rainforest Action Network

Riverkeeper

Scenic Hudson 

Sierra Club Foundation

Student Conservation Association

Waterkeeper Alliance

The Wilderness Society

Wildlands Conservancy

World Wildlife Fund

 

---

Heart of Giving Podcast

In this week’s Heart of Giving Podcast, the featured guest is Elaine Espinola Keltz, former Mrs. DC America and a fixture in the DC media scene. She discusses her life and passion for giving back to the community.

---

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:

• Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association 
• Children of Armenia Fund
• Together Women Rise

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.

Celebrating Volunteers

April 21 – 27 is National Volunteer Week. This provides recognition to all the individuals who help charities through their generous donations of time. In recent years, AmeriCorps has estimated that over 60 million people volunteer annually representing over 4 billion hours. While many are motivated to volunteer, we sometimes hit roadblocks or challenges to achieve this objective. Chiefly among them is finding the “extra” time to donate. Well, that problem is certainly understandable, but it can be overcome by considering the following tips when making a volunteer choice.

Choose Your Cause 

If you volunteer for an organization that is addressing a cause that you really care about, that can add incentive to help. Your passion can be a strong motivator for volunteer success.

Start With a Test Run

You might begin with devoting just a couple hours per month or an hour a week. Something that you can manage without disrupting your other personal and/or work time. Volunteering does not have to involve the effort of a part-time job. Think of it as testing the waters a bit before you decide to take a swim.

Experience is Valued

If your profession and/or work experience provides special skills, consider offering them in a volunteer capacity. An accountant might help a small charity with its books, a plumber might be needed to construct homes for those in need, or a health care worker could lend a hand in a charity clinic. The possibilities are varied. Don’t assume it’s all about ladling soup at the homeless shelter.  

Be Cautious About Independent Volunteer Efforts

Sometimes people have the right motivation to volunteer but choose the wrong way to use it. For example, after a natural disaster strikes, some may feel like loading up a pick-up truck with water and supplies and head out to help. If you are not doing this in collaboration with an experienced disaster relief charity, you might actually result in getting in the way of planned efforts that already have systems in place to coordinate emergency assistance. Many disaster relief charities welcome and rely on volunteers during such times of need, reach out and let them know you want to assist them.

Look Before You Leap

As always, we urge volunteers, just as we do with donors that contribute funds, to check out charities before you offer your assistance. Visit Give.org to verify if they meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.  You may also want to see if the charity is registered with the appropriate state government agency in your state (usually a division of the Attorney General’s office or the Secretary of State). About 40 of the 50 states have such a requirement. You also can verify an organization’s charitable tax exempt status at this IRS link. In Canada, check with the Canada Revenue Agency.

---

Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features Rita Soronen, President & CEO, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (a BBB Accredited Charity) who shares her passion for advocating for abused and neglected children and fining them permanent homes.  

---

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:

• Shoes and Clothing for Kids
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
• PayPal Charitable Giving Fund

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.

Anti-Cruelty to Animals Month

As April is recognized as Anti-Cruelty to Animals Month, BBB Wise Giving Alliance seeks to bring attention to the variety of charitable organizations that protect animals in some way. The scope of potential activities is vast from rescuing abused cats and dogs to stopping illegal trade in wildlife. To help interested donors, we compiled a list of various nationally-soliciting animal organizations that meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability (i.e., BBB Accredited Charities.) We also offer the following tips to help you make your donation choices.

• Be aware of name confusion. As animal charities are one of the most popular categories of organizations, be mindful that some may have name similarities. Look at the name carefully since the one you are considering may not be the one you have in mind.

• Find out that they do. Don’t assume what an animal charity does based solely on the name alone.

• One time vs. monthly donations. Some charities encourage recurring donations where the organization automatically charges a credit card a monthly contribution amount. It’s okay to support a charity this way if that is what you want, but also remember you can choose to make a one time gift if you prefer.

• Visit Give.org. In addition to charity reports on BBB’s Give.org, check with your state government’s charity registration agency, usually a division of either the Attorney General’s office or Secretary of State’s office. In Canada, check with the Canada Revenue Agency.  Also, registration with a government agency does not signify a government endorsement or recommendation.

The following are various animal-related charities that meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability (i.e., BBB Accredited Charities.) 

American Humane
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Animal Legal Defense Fund
Big Life Foundation USA
Days End Farm Horse Rescue
Defenders of Wildlife
Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
Farm Sanctuary
Humane Society International
Humane Society of the United States
International Animal Rescue, US
Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife, Research, Education and Conservation
Last Chance for Animals
Mercy For Animals
Pan African Sanctuary Alliance
PetSmart Charities
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Polar Bears International
Primarily Primates
Primate Rescue Center
RedRover
Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation
World Animal Protection
World Wildlife Fund
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

---

Heart of Giving Podcast

This week the Heart of Giving Podcast features an interview with Art Taylor, President & CEO, BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Art is interviewed by Tina Beaty from the Society for Human Resources Management‘s (SHRM) AI+HI (artificial intelligence and human intelligence) Conference. The conversation covers Art’s thoughts about key considerations for organizations contemplating the launch of AI projects.

---

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:

•  Nourish Up
• Medical Teams International 
• International Aid Charity

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.

Board Compensation

While in the business world, it is commonplace for members of the board of directors of a company to be compensated, it is not so for individuals who serve on the board of a publicly soliciting charity. A charity’s board members are usually unpaid for their oversight role. In part, this helps voting members of a charity’s board focus on advancing the charity’s mission and avoid any financial influence that may cloud their judgment.

That is why Standard 4 in the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability calls for a limit on the number of voting board members who receive compensation – may it be monetary or nonmonetary, direct or indirect (for purposes of this standard, board member reimbursement for travel expenses to attend board meetings is not considered compensation).

An example of a directly-compensated board member would be a paid charity staff member (such as the CEO) who also serves as a voting member of the board. An indirectly-compensated board member circumstance would take place if a voting member of the board was the spouse, sibling, parent or child of a paid staff member.

To meet BBB Charity Standard 4, not more than one or 10% (whichever is greater) of the total voting membership of the board should be directly or indirectly compensated. Also, if a board member receives compensation, that person may not serve as the chair or treasurer. For example, if a charity has seven board members, no more than one voting member should be compensated. If a charity has 20 board members, no more than two voting board members should be compensated.

Publicly soliciting churches and other houses of worship with compensated ordained clergy serving on their board of directors should see the additional implementation explanation on Standard 4 for further information on how this standard applies to them.

By ensuring that voting board members are free of financial interest, the board is better positioned to ensure its duty of loyalty to the charity’s mission.

---

Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features Michele Evans, the founder and CEO of NxtWaves, a membership network aimed at redefining post-corporate life for leaders, promoting long-term career vibrancy and satisfaction.

---

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:

• Corporate Accountability
• Plan International USA 
• Good Days

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.

Strengthening Charity Practices

One of the unique features of BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s approach to charity evaluation is the personal contact and communications with charities. After a publicly soliciting charity completes BBB WGA’s online questionnaire form,  BBB WGA staff will contact the charity not only to obtain additional information and materials needed to complete the report but also to inform the charity of the initial findings and offer recommendations on what actions the charity can take to amend concerns that are brought to its attention. This exchange can involve a number of letters and/or emails, and if needed, phone conversations to help BBB WGA determine if the subject charity meets each of the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. As part of this process, a draft report is prepared for the charity’s review and comment before it is posted on Give.org.

One by one, each evaluative charity report is completed with personal attention. When you see a report on Give.org that shows a charity meets all 20 BBB Charity Standards, it usually represents significant work has taken place before that conclusion is reached. This individual attention is something that helps promote change and is an important means to help strengthen charity practices. BBB Wise Giving Alliance is not seeking to achieve a “gotcha” circumstance with charities. Rather, BBB charity reporting is a means to not only help donors make informed giving decisions but also to help charities gain trust and improve accountability.

The existence of charity standards by themselves do not ensure ethical behaviors. Organizations need encouragement and guidance to help them recognize when they have fallen off-track and how they might improve to address transparency, oversight, and integrity. This is a journey that, but its nature, needs to be revisited over time and is reflected by the fact that our evaluations are completed every two years.

We hope this provides a better understanding of the methods used to carry out our work to address our mission of promoting public confidence in charities and strengthening trust.

---

Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features Erwin de Leon, PhD, Columbia University School of Professional Studies’ inaugural Chief Diversity Officer who leads the school’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Initiative.

---

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:

•  Sharsheret
•  World Emergency Relief
•  WorkLife Partnership

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.

On March 21, 2024, the standards-based, charity-evaluation group, BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB’s Give.org), is hosting a Donor Trust and Participation event at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in New York City. The event is co-hosted by Charity Monitoring Worldwide (CMW), a network of charity monitors representing 20 countries from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe. BBB’s Give.org is the US member of CMW.

The program seeks to gain insights into the roots of the generosity crisis in the United States, with references from around the globe, and for charities in attendance to learn about actionable advice from sector experts on how to gain broad and pluralistic support and foster community around causes.

Event participants include Asha Curran (Chief Executive Officer of GivingTuesday), Jane Wales (Co-Chair of the Generosity Commission), Jon Bergdoll (Associate Director of Data Partnerships, Statistician for Giving USA), Margaret Richardson (Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, GoFundMe), Sara Lomelin (Chief Executive Officer,  Philanthropy Together), Nathan Chappell, Senior VP, Donor Search AI, and charity leaders from American Heart Association, charity:water, and CHC: Creating Healthier Communities.

“Given the unique and vital role that charities play in society, the decline in American households giving to charities, and the rise in the average age of the U.S. donor, are truly concerning” said H. Art Taylor, President and CEO of BBB’s Give.org (and Co-Chair of the Generosity Commission’s Policy Task Force), “Recent BBB Donor Trust Surveys have highlighted the importance of building community, broadening the ask, and effectively differentiating the impact charities make as compared to other forms of generosity. Through this gathering, we want to further the conversation with sector leaders and participating charities.”

For a copy of the agenda, go to https://give.org/donor-trust-and-participation/

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 2023, people turned to BBB more than 218 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 5.3 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.

Media contacts: For more information, journalists should contact Elvia Castro (703) 247-9322 or ecastro@give.org)

---

Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features Eric Kessler, founder of Arabella Advisors which offers philanthropy and management expertise and connections to funders and changemakers to help their clients overcome challenges standing in the way of needed change.

---

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:

• The Blue Card
• Equine Land Conservation Resource
• Hearing Health Foundation

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.

On March 11, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission and 10 states (CA, FL, MD, MA, NC, OK, OR, TX, VA, and WI) announced that they sued the Cancer Recovery Foundation (aka Women’s Cancer Fund) alleging that between 2017 and 2022 they collected $18 million mostly via telemarketing appeals and spent only $194,809 on their cause of providing support for cancer patients. The FTC notes this $194k amount works out to be a penny for every dollar donated. 

This is not the first time government authorities have taken action against organizations engaged in raising money for cancer causes. Back in 2016, two other cancer charities signed a settlement agreement with the FTC and all 50 states to dissolve two cancer charities that had been involved in bilking donors for more than $187 million. 

BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers the following tips to help avoid future potential phone appeal deception: 

• Watch out for similar sounding names. Some charity names sound the same. Usually, it’s because they are addressing the same cause. Other times, it might be an attempt to deceive. To avoid being mistaken, visit the easy-to-read reports at Give.org to verify if the charity soliciting you is the one you have in mind. 

• Resist excessive pressure to donate. If you receive a telephone call requesting a donation, don’t feel pressed to give personal information or to make an immediate donation. A credible organization will welcome a gift at any time. While it can sometimes be hard to say no when an appeal strikes an emotional chord, you can avoid being disappointed if it turns out the charity is not what you thought. 

• Trust should be earned. There are many well-managed charities that carry out important work. Don’t assume that the organization calling you is the one you want to support, especially if you are unfamiliar with the organization. Visit Give.org to identify BBB Accredited Charities (i.e., meets all 20 BBB Charity Standards) that address the causes you care about. 

• Cold calls often lead to high fundraising expenses. Telephone appeals made to individuals who have not previously supported the charity (cold calls), can involve high fundraising costs where less than 20% of the amount collected goes to the charity. More well-managed efforts will contact prior donors. 

• Check with state government regulators. About 40 of the 50 states require charities to register before they solicit. Usually, these offices are a division of the state office of the attorney general or the secretary of state. Keep in mind that registration does not mean the state government agency recommends or endorses the charity. In Canada, check with the Canada Revenue Agency.

---

Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features Katherina ‘Kat’ M. Rosqueta, Founding Executive Director, Center for High Impact Philanthropy, Faculty Co-Director of High Impact Philanthropy Academy, and Adjunct Faculty in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice.

---

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:

•  Foundation Fighting Blindness
•  National Eczema Association
•  Network for Good

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.

Many of you may have heard the recent news story about Ruth Gottesman, Ed.D., a 93-year-old financier who donated $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, to fund tuition for all students going forward. She is a former professor at the school whose late husband made billions running an investment firm. Dr. Gottesman was on the school’s board of trustees and currently serves as chair. On March 1, 2024, inspired by this circumstance, Jeremy Engle of The Learning Network of The New York Times, wrote an interesting student opinion piece in the Times: “If You Had $1 Billion to Give Away, What Charity Would You Support?”  Jeremy encouraged students 13 years old and older in the U.S. and Britain to read the Times article and post their thoughts on what causes and/or organizations they would support with such a large gift. As of the date of this post, the responses have included a variety of recommendations. This generosity presents an impressive and interesting situation not only because of the size of the gift but also due to the nature of the donor restriction. If any medical school received such a large contribution, how likely would they similarly fund student tuition? The fact that this story made headlines around the country signals its unique use, but it also prompts people to think about how they might decide to apply such a philanthropic gold mine. If given the opportunity, would one choose a favorite charitable organization or spread the donation around many groups devoted to a shared cause, like cancer research or addressing environmental issues? There is no single correct answer, and that helps fuel attention on making this choice. But this story also reminds us of other challenges facing the charitable sector. The number of U.S. households contributing to charity has declined. Research by the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy has shown that while 66.2% of American households contributed to charity in 2000, only 49.6% of households donated in 2018. As a result, some charities are now more frequently turning to wealthier donors for support to help fill this growing gap. For more on this and related donor matters, see the Give.org Donor Trust Special Report on Donor Participation which was released in June 2023. In our experience, most of the users of the evaluative reports produced by BBB Wise Giving Alliance want to verify charity trustworthiness by seeking charities that meet the 20 BBB Charity Standards. Although they are not making huge gifts like Dr. Gottesman, they are responding to various appeals requesting their support. For many charitable organizations, this supply of smaller gifts has served as a reliable backbone of American philanthropy. Large donations are certainly encouraged and welcomed by charities, but those large gifts are unlikely to be repeated by the same contributor. Ultimately, the health of the charitable sector depends on a broad culture of charitable support, with inclusive engagement of many small donors in giving, rather than over-reliance on a few wealthy donors.

---

Heart of Giving Podcast

In this week’s Heart of Giving Podcast, our featured guest is Joey Zumaya, Founding Partner of The Zumaya Group which leads social impact teams and initiatives that include nonprofit engagement, community development and diversity.

---

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:

• Scenic America
• Nourish Up
• Childhood Leukemia Foundation

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.

There are four pillars or themes within the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability: charity governance, results reporting, finances, and fundraising/informational materials. There is a reason that the governance standards are listed first. In many ways, they address the most fundamental and influential aspects of accountability. A charity with a well-run board of directors will have the best chance to succeed and ensure that the organization’s operations are carried out with great integrity and efficiency.

About two years ago, Wise Giving Wednesday featured a series of posts, linked below, that outlined the three essential elements of good governance that are often featured in guidebooks produced by state government regulatory agencies such as the board responsibility book, Right from the Start: Responsibilities of Directors of Not-for-Profit Corporations, produced by the Charities Bureau of the Office of the New York State Attorney General.

• Duty of loyalty – act in the nonprofit’s best interest and disclosing related party transactions that could result in a potential conflict of interest
• Duty of care – be familiar with the organization’s finances and activities and participate regularly in its governance, in “good faith” 
• Duty of obedience – ensure that the organization complies with applicable laws and regulations, its mission, and its internal governance documents and policies

These are more than just theoretical concepts; they are objectives that all governing board members should take seriously in their deliberations and decision making. The BBB Charity Standards cover these issues within the five standards, which address, among other things, adequate board oversight over the charity’s operations and staff, having at least three meetings with a majority in attendance on average, no more than 10% of the Board being compensated directly or indirectly, and no transactions resulting in material conflicts-of-interest with board or staff member related firms.

From time to time, BBB Wise Giving Alliance unfortunately finds a certain circumstance that can thwart the ability of a charity to have good governance. This is when a charity’s head of staff (whether it be titled CEO, executive director, president, or other name) also serves as the chair of the charity’s governing board. If someone is serving as CEO while simultaneously serving as board chair, that person is essentially in charge of their own oversight. This is a recipe, even with the best of intentions, that can lead to disaster. Also, as these two leadership roles have specific responsibilities that are separate from each other, it is not practical for one person to do them both.

Additional guidance and recommendations on the BBB Charity Standards can be found in the implementation descriptions of the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.

---

Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features Omari Maynard, an artist, activist, educator, and founder of ARIAH Foundation. This organization seeks to support individuals, families, and communities that experience the devastating aftershock associated with maternal/infant morbidity and mortality.

---

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:

• Boulder Crest Foundation
• Planet Aid
• Hagar USA

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.