Media Contact: Janet C. Hart, APR, CFEE (704) 927-8617 office
CHARLOTTE,
N.C. – The holidays are a time when we reflect on how fortunate we are, even in
a tight economy. This is also a time when we want to help other people who are less
fortunate by giving to charitable organizations. The BBB evaluates locally-soliciting
charities on 20 standards covering fundraising,
finances, governance and oversight, and the organization’s efforts to measure
its effectiveness. These standards were established by the BBB Wise Giving
Alliance to help donors make informed and careful giving decisions.
“About
70 percent of Americans feel it is difficult to tell whether a charity soliciting
their contribution is legitimate, operates with integrity, and actually does
the kind of charity work it says it does,” said BBB President Tom Bartholomy. “Charities have an obligation to be open and
transparent so that the public can make confident decisions when donating money.”
The
BBB offers the following advice for your holiday giving:
- When in doubt,
check it out.
When an unfamiliar organization asks you for a donation, don’t give
without gathering details about the charity, the nature of its programs
and its use of funds. Contact the BBB Wise Giving Alliance or go to www.bbb.org/charity for a BBB Wise
Giving Report on the charity.
- Don’t be fooled by low overhead claims. We have seen many
cases where charities spend acceptable amounts on fundraising and administration, yet still fail to
meet one or more of the BBB Standards
for Charity Accountability. When giving to national charities, ask the
charity if they are accredited by the BBB.
If not, ask why.
- Think before you
give.
Ask for the charity’s name and address.
Get full identification from the solicitor and review it carefully. Ask to
see written information on the charity’s programs and finances.
- Watch out for cases
of mistaken identity. With more than one million charities in the U.S., it’s
not surprising that some charity names sound alike. Be careful that the
one soliciting you is the one you have in mind.
- Know how much of your
purchase actually helps the charity. If something is being sold to
benefit a charity, be wary of vague statements such as “all proceeds go to
charity” or “your purchase will benefit a charity.” Look for a disclosure
that indicates the actual or estimated amount of the purchase price that
will go to the charity’s programs.
- Watch out for
charity fraud.
Legitimate charities do not demand donations; they willingly provide
written information about their programs, finances or how donations are
used; and they never insist you provide your credit card number, bank
account number or any other personal information.
Full
evaluations are available on nationally-soliciting charities are available online
in the form of BBB Wise Giving Reports at www.bbb.org/charity. For more information, please visit www.bbb.org or call the BBB at (704) 927-8617 or
toll-free in N.C. and S.C. at 1-877-317-7236.
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