BBB WISE GIVING ALLIANCE

BBB WGA PRODUCES ABOUT 1,500 REPORTS ON NATIONALLY-SOLICTING CHARITIES BASED ON THE 20 BBB STANDARDS FOR CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY. PUBLIC INQUIRIES HELP DETERMINE WHICH CHARITIES ARE EVALUATED. CHARITIES CAN ALSO REQUEST TO BE EVALUATED. PRODUCES A WISE GIVING GUIDE MAGAZINE THREE TIMES PER YEAR, WHICH INCLUDES A SUMMARY LIST OF CHARITY EVALUATIONS. CHARITIES THAT MEET ALL 20 STANDARDS ARE CALLED BBB ACCREDITED CHARITIES. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR CHARITY ACCREDITATION AND THE RESULTING REPORTS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC AT GIVE.ORG. ACCREDITED CHARITIES HAVE THE OPTION OF LICENSING A BBB CHARITY SEAL FOR A SLIDING SCALE FEE. OF THE CHARITIES THAT PROVIDE REQUESTED INFORMATION, 70% WERE FOUND TO MEET ALL 2O BBB CHARITY STANDARDS AND 30% DID NOT MEET ONE OR MORE OF THE STANDARDS.THE CURRENT NAME, BBB WISE GIVING ALLIANCE (BBB WGA) BEGAN TO BE USED IN 2001. HOWEVER, UNDER PREVIOUS NAMES, THE LEGACY OF BBB REPORTING ON NATIONAL CHARITIES DATES BACK TO THE 1920'S.IN ADDITION TO ITS LONG HISTORY, ONE OF THE KEY DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN BBB WGA AND OTHER CHARITY MONITORING ORGANIZATIONS IS THAT IT IS A STANDARDS-BASED CHARITY EVALUATOR. THE 20 BBB STANDARDS FOR CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY ADDRESS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, CHARITY GOVERNANCE, FINANCES, RESULTS REPORTING, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCURATE APPEALS. THESE STANDARDS SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR RIGOROUS EVALUATIONS COMPLETED BY THE BBB WGA EXPERT RESEARCH STAFF. A DETAILED EXPLANATION OF HOW EACH STANDARD IS APPLIED APPEARS ON GIVE.ORG.BBB WGA PUBLISHES A MAGAZINE THREE TIMES A YEAR, THE WISE GIVING GUIDE, THAT FEATURES COVER STORIES ON CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY TOPICS ALONG WITH A SUMMARY CHART OF ITS MOST CURRENT NATIONAL CHARITY EVALUATIONS. COVER STORY TOPICS IN 2023 INCLUDED CHARITY MONITORING IN OTHER COUNTRIES, DECLINE IN PERCENTAGE OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS THAT DONATE, AND A DONOR HANDBOOK COVERING VARIOUS GIVING SUBJECTS.THE GIVE.ORG WEBSITE INCLUDES A WEEKLY "WISE GIVING WEDNESDAY' POSTING THAT ADDRESSES VARIOUS CHARITY ACOUNTABILITY ISSUES, SUCH AS ADVICE ON GIVING TO DISASTER RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS AND SIGNALS OF TRUST FOR CHARITIES. DURING 2023, WISE GIVING WEDNESDAY CONTINUED A SERIES OF ENTRIES FOCUSING ON DONATIONS TO ASSIST UKRAINE RELIEF EFFORTS AND HOW TO ASSIST UKRAINIAN REFUGEES THAT FLED TO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES. OTHER WISE GIVING WEDNESDAY TOPICS INCLUDED ISRAEL/GAZA RELIEF EFFORTS, DONATING TO SHOOTING VICTIMS IN MAINE, AFGHANASTAN AND MOROCCO EARTHQUAKE RELIEF, AND MAUI WILDFIRE RELIEF. BBB WGA ALSO CONTINUED ITS 'BUILDING TRUST' VIDEO SERIES WHICH CONSISTS OF INTERVIEWS WITH CEO'S OF MAJOR CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS.IN OCTOBER 2023, BBB WGA PARTICIPATED IN INTERNATIONAL CHARITY FRAUD AWARENESS WEEK, WHICH REPRESENTS AN INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF GOVERNMENT REGULATORS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, CHARITIES AND OTHERS SEEKING TO ADDRESS CHARITY FRAUD ISSUES. BBB WGA DISTRIBUTED DONOR ADVICE ON CHARITY FRAUD CAUTIONS.THE HEART OF GIVING PODCAST ENTERED ITS FOURTH YEAR OF PRODUCTION IN 2023. THIS WEEKLY SERIES INVOLVES DETAILED DISCUSSIONS WITH CHARITY SECTOR LEADERS ON VARIOUS TOPICS SUCH AS THE MOTIVATIONS BEHIND WHY WE GIVE AND WHAT DROVE CHARITY EXECUTIVES TO A CAREER OF SERVICE AND GIVING.IN NOVEMBER 2023, BBB WGA RELEASED THE SIXTH EDITION OF THE GIVE.ORG DONOR TRUST REPORT. THIS ANNUAL REVIEW OF TRUST AND GIVING ATTITUDES INVOLVES AN ONLINE SURVEY OF 2,100 ADULTS IN THE U.S AND 1,000 IN CANADA, WHICH EXPLORES DONOR BELIEFS, FEELINGS, AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS RELATED TO CHARITY TRUST AND GIVING. KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE: 70% OF RESPONDENTS RATED THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUSTING A CHARITY BEFORE GIVING AS 9 OR 10 (ESSENTIAL) ON A 10-POINT SCALE. HOWEVER, ONLY 20% OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY HIGHLY TRUST CHARITIES.IN JUNE 2023, BBB WGA DISTRIBUTED A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE GIVE.ORG DONOR TRUST REPORT THAT FOCUSED ON THE DROP OF DONOR PARTICIPATION. ONE OF THE KEY FINDINGS IS THAT SOME SAID THEY STOPPED CONTRIBUTING BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT AFFORD TO GIVE, PERFERRED OTHER WAYS OF BEING GENEROUS, DID NOT TRUST SOLICITING CHARITIES, OR DID NOT FEEL THEY HAD BEEN ASKED.