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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: 

• Adopt America Network
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation
• Union of Concerned Scientists

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

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: 

• Mercy Multiplied
• Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
• Mothers2mothers International 

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

On Monday, October 5^th, I was part of a panel discussion about emerging trends in disaster fundraising at the Washington DC annual meeting of the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) which is held in conjunction with the National Association of Attorneys General.  This topic is on our minds this week in the wake of the horrific flooding that occurred in South Carolina.  I began my presentation discussing how mobile text to give campaigns (for example, the Mobile Giving Foundation) which began as a means to support disaster relief efforts, have since become integrated as part of general giving campaigns.  However, the online environment for disaster giving has further evolved into various alternative platforms that enable charities to quickly organize fundraising campaigns on new online payment platforms.  Some of these platforms such as the crowdfunding activities conducted by the GlobalGiving Foundation (a BBB Accredited Charity) carefully vet all of the projects funded through their website, while others do not. In addition, some of the new giving platforms are run by start-up, for-profit companies that may be harder to check out due to the lack of a track record. In turn, lesser known payment platforms, especially in the disaster giving environment, create new challenges for both government regulators and monitoring groups in terms of keeping track of the latest giving activities and calling out problem practices. 

My fellow panelist at the NASCO conference was Bob Ottenhoff, President and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy which seeks to increase the effectiveness of contributions given to disasters. Among other things, Bob pointed out how media coverage drives disaster giving, which is mostly reactive to these events. He also talked about the importance of disaster relief charities providing a financial and activity report after a disaster and monitoring restricted funds that are established for specific disasters.

As part of our Building Trust Video Series we are pleased to provide a video that features Mari Kuraishi, one of the founders and the current President of GlobalGiving. Under her leadership, the organization has raised over $188 million since 2002 from over 475,000 donors and funded 12,500 projects around the world.     

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: 

• Joyce Meyer Ministries
• Native American Rights Fund
• PFLAG 

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

With total revenues of about $3 billion, more than 450 chapters in all 50 states, over 25,000 paid staff members, 400,000 volunteers and responding to nearly 70,000 disasters large and small each year, the American Red Cross is one of the largest American charities in existence and one of the most recognized charity brands.  By any measure, the management and oversight of such a huge institution can appear daunting.  To strengthen its ability to meet this challenge, the Red Cross embarked on a major reorganization in recent years that changed its structure and relationship with local affiliates. 

Prior to 2008, the Red Cross had as many as 3,500 chapters each with its own board of directors, accounting systems, bank accounts, email platforms and purchasing. The local executive reported to his/her own local board and there was little resource sharing among chapters as each raised funds to meet their own budgets.  Five years later, after a major consolidation that was completed in 2013, the Red Cross became a single managed institution with just one board of directors at the national level, chapter consolidation, centralization of IT functions, marketing, finances and back office operations and a change in focus at the local level which was able to devote more attention to the communities being served. The changes implemented provided more flexibility in addressing local needs as a result of this greater coordination, among other things. 

With this background, we are pleased to provide the following video of an interview with Gail McGovern, President & CEO of the American Red Cross.  Ms. McGovern helped lead the reorganization described above and continues to oversee one of America’s largest charities. 

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:

• American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
• CARE USA
• Catching the Dream
• charity:water

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

On June 12^th, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance will be hosting a charity conference in Washington DC.  While we hold a conference each year for BBB Accredited Charities that participate in our charity seal program, this gathering is special.  Another organization, the International Committee of Fundraising Organizations (ICFO) is partnering with us to produce this event.  ICFO, is an international association of national charity monitoring organizations. Their members are standards-based charity reporting organizations that report on charities in other countries as we do in the United States. Each year an ICFO member hosts their annual meeting in their home country, this time it is our turn. 

As a result we are opening up the conference to a wider charity audience and inviting any organization with an interest in charity accountability issues to register for this one-day event.  The agenda will include a discussion of a variety of topics related to trust issues: 

• Donor Trust in Charity Data Security & Privacy
• Cultural Differences that Influence Trust in Charities & Fundraising Strategies
• Gaining Donor Trust of New Generations
• Communicating Charity Value and Inspiring Trust 

In addition, our keynote luncheon speaker, Carrie Martin Munk, the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, ALS Association, will talk about the Ice Bucket Challenge. 

We hope charity executives and others interested in the mentioned topics will be able to join us for this gathering.  It will be a wonderful opportunity to not only learn from thought leaders on these subjects but also to meet monitoring groups from around the world who face many of the same accountability challenges as the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. 

With today’s technology, global issues are impacting charitable organizations with greater frequency.  Whether it be tragedies such as the devastating earthquake in Nepal or internet privacy and security threats, charitable organizations are recognizing they are part of an ever expanding community that seeks to maintain donor trust and strengthen accountability.  

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:     

• Bone Marrow Foundation
• Infant Crisis Services
• National Kidney Services
• Operation Homefront 

Finally, remember to let us know by going to / 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

With Artic air dipping into Canada and the United States this first week of 2018, many areas are experiencing sub-zero temperatures. The frigid weather also reminds us of the hardships experienced by the homeless seeking relief from the cold. Some shelters are likely to fill to capacity during such dangerous drops in temperature, especially in major cities. For those seeking to help the homeless during this difficult weather season, we offer the following advice and suggestions. 

Supporting Shelters: Homeless shelters need support, especially this time of year, and would greatly appreciate being remembered in your contribution activities.  Most cities have a number shelters that provide assistance, but need continuing support as other charities. If a BBB charity report is not available, BBB WGA recommends checking out the organization’s website for additional details about its services and needs. 

Financial Information: If you are seeking out financial information on a homeless shelter, transparent organizations will include website access to their latest financial statements. Even small organizations should have some type of available financial statements. Except for those shelters run by houses of worship, charities that bring in $50,000 or more are required to annually complete the IRS Form 990 EZ or the full IRS Form 990 if their gross receipts exceed $200,000. 

In-Kind Donations: It is best to check with a shelter before making an in-kind donation of food, hygiene products, blankets, clothing or coats. This will help you identify what gifts would be most appreciated. Keep in mind that some shelters deal with a large volume of homeless individuals. Also, travel size soaps, shampoos and similar items are usually very helpful for distribution. 

Volunteering: It is quite common for the volume of volunteers to exceed paid staff at many shelters. Those interested in helping out, however, should be willing to undergo a background check as organizations seek to ensure the safety of their clients. Also, some homeless organizations conduct outreach to those homeless that are reluctant to seek shelter in order to provide blankets, food or other necessities directly to where they are located. 

Video of the Week 

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide a video that features Natasha Museles, Executive Director, Children’s Cancer Foundation (a BBB Accredited Charity). which supports facilities treating children with cancer and researchers and programs designed to assist children or families facing a diagnosis of cancer in Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia. 

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:

• Ducks Unlimited
• Every Mother Counts
• Global FoodBanking Network 

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