As noted in this week’s Chronicle of Philanthropy, this holiday season is expected to result in significant gains for charities due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, large gifts from wealthy donors, a rising stock market, and a healthy response to the GivingTuesday campaign. While end-of-year donating is usually the most active time for contributors, the predictions are that charities will do better than anticipated. 

In view of this, we are pleased to share an infographic that provides donors with a holiday checklist of advice in making their giving choices: make sure you know what the charity does, watch out for name similarity, seek out advice from friends and family about which causes concern them most and verify if the charity meets the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability by visiting Give.org 

As part of our Building Trust Video series, we are pleased to provide a video that features Lt. Col. Ron Busroe, National Community Relations and Development Secretary of The Salvation Army’s National Headquarters in the United States (a BBB Accredited Charity).  The Salvation Army works through a network of 7,546 facilities in communities throughout the United States. The organization services include providing shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, daycare services for the elderly, assistance for the disabled, job training for displaced individuals, Bible classes for people in prison, relief for disaster victims, after-school tutoring, youth camps, and recreation activities for children.   

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: 

• World Emergency Relief
• Wreaths Across America
• Youth for Christ USA 

Finally, remember to let us know by going to  https://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