Arlington, VA (July 1, 2024) – New research by
BBB’s Give.org shows that, while what people value most from
charity monitoring organizations is assessment of charity spending,
review of accuracy in appeals and protection of donor information are
now similarly top-of-mind. In particular, when asked to consider the
importance of 7 different accountability elements, survey participants
said it is “very important” for independent charity
monitors to review: how the charity spends its money (75.9%); whether
the charity’s appeals are truthful, accurate, and not misleading
(73.4%); and whether the charity adequately protects donor information
(60.7%). BBB’s Give.org, the standards-based, charity-evaluation
group released today the Give.org Donor Trust Special Report: Public
Eye on Charity Accountability. The report, a survey of more than 2,100
adults in the United States and more than 1,000 adults in Canada,
explores public positions and expectations related to a selection of
charity accountability themes, including oversight, charity finances,
impact, solicitation materials, artificial intelligence, and data
security. “In an age of distrust, misinformation, and data
vulnerability, our survey shows that truthful and accurate
communication, and adequate protection of donor information, are top
public priorities.” said H. Art Taylor, President and CEO of
BBB’s Give.org, “As charities start embracing Artificial
Intelligence, our survey shows that many would have a skeptical (35%)
or negative (17%) reaction to the use of AI in solicitation material.
BBB’s Give.org wants to keep an eye on emerging charity
accountability priorities from the public.”

Other report highlights include:

• When comparing financial criteria, participants report they are most
  confident to give: when a charity accurately reports expenses
  (54.6%), when the charity spends the majority of expenses on
  programs (53.5%), and when the charity has a budget plan (45.7%).
• 7When it comes to impact, respondents say that both immediate and
  long-term results are important, but more respondents said long-term
  results are highly important (46.0%) than said the same for
  immediate results (23.9%).
• When cause related marketing language is ambiguous, younger
  participants are most likely to assume the charitable contribution
  associated with their purchase will be high. For example, when
  presented with the statements “Your purchase of this product
  helps XYZ charity,” 18.1% of Millennials estimated “a
  lot” of the purchase price would go to the charity, as
  compared to only 3.8% of Matures.
• When asked to imagine charity appeals including AI-generated images,
  the majority (54.5%) of participants say they would be discouraged
  from giving if they knew the appeal was not verified for accuracy by
  a staff member. Participants with a household income of $200,000 or
  more are most likely (70.3%) to be discouraged from giving.
• When asked to imagine that a charity they personally support appears
  in the news for being hacked and having data stolen, 22.5% say they
  would no longer donate, and another 51.7% say would hold off on
  donating until they are satisfied that the issue is resolved.

For a free copy of the report, go to
Give.org/DonorTrust.

BBB’s Give.org urges donors to give thoughtfully by taking the
time to investigate charities before making a donation and to visit
Give.org to verify if a charity meets the 20
BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.

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 2021, people turned to BBB more than 200 million
times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.3 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)