In the midst of a pandemic, charities are looking for alternatives to in-person fundraising events to help bring in new donor dollars and/or draw more attention to their cause. As reported in The NonProfit Times and other media, St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (a BBB Accredited Charity) is engaged in a fundraising promotion that involves “two seats on the first all-civilian mission to space, planned for the fourth-quarter this year by SpaceX….”  While outer space may not be the first thing that comes to mind for a charity seeking development options, it is bound to get more attention after a 30-second spot is aired during the upcoming Super Bowl. The promotion is also a collaboration with Shift4 Payments (a BBB Accredited Business), a payment processing company.

In terms of charities seeking funding from private foundations during these challenging times, a monograph was released today by Leap of Reason Ambassadors, a community of nonprofit thought leaders, practitioners and others “who believe that mission and performance are inextricably linked.”  The monograph titled “Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success” provides essays by a number of nonprofit leaders: Hilary Pennington, Ford Foundation; Daniel Stid, Hewlett Foundation;Sam Cobbs, Tipping Point Community; Jeff BradachandJeri Eckhart Queenan, Bridgespan; Lowell Weiss, Leap Ambassadors support team;Hilda Polancoand Deborah Linnell, FMA. The essays in this publication provide recommendations, including, but not limited to:

• achieving better results by viewing the charity/funder relationship as a type of partnership
• correcting the misperception that important change can happen quickly through small, short-term grants
• recognizing the need for funders to provide charities with sufficient indirect-cost reimbursements

It is encouraging to see these innovative approaches and ideas to help charities raise funds. It gives hope that the charitable sector can overcome current difficulties and find ways to grow.

Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide a video featuring Steve Queior, CEO of Prader-Willi Syndrome Association, a BBB Accredited Charity that works to to raise awareness, offer support, provide education and advocacy, and promote and fund research to enhance the quality of life of those affected by Prader-Willi syndrome.

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:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• National Park Foundation
• Operation Healing Forces

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.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance