Yesterday, we announced the release of the Give.org Special Report: COVID-19 and the Charitable Sector. The report provides the results of a survey of 118 BBB Accredited Charities and more than 1,000 adults in the United States, exploring what charities and donors expect to be the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak on the charitable sector.

BBB Accredited Charities meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability which address charity governance, results reporting, finances, and fundraising practices. The BBB Accredited Charity participants included relatively large charities, with more than 12% having revenue above $100 million and as well as smaller groups with less than 8% having revenue below $1 million. Still, 89% of these charities said they are concerned about maintaining a financially stable organization in 2020. Reasons to be concerned about revenue loss include donors being less able to give, charities being less able to raise funds through in-person events and program services, and the generosity of donors being redirected to support small business or to people who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

But the silver lining is that more than half of the 1,000 individuals surveyed expect to maintain their level of charity support and another 30% intend to give more. What is more, younger generations (a segment that charities yearn to engage and convert to givers) are much more likely to say that they plan to give more, with 47.7% of Millennials and 60.8% of Gen Z participants expressing an intent to give more.

While the situation is filled with uncertainties and whether public donations can live up to the challenge is yet to be seen, the rise in solidarity and intent to give by younger generations could present an opportunity to shed light on the important role of the charitable sector and to convert some young people into lifelong givers.

Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide a video interview with Kate Grant, CEO of Fistula Foundation, a BBB Accredited Charity that works to end the suffering caused by the childbirth injury obstetric fistula by increasing the availability of treatment for patients in Africa and Asia and training for medical professionals.

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:

• Heartbeat International
• HOPE worldwide
• Law Enforcement Legal Defense 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.

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