BBB Wise Giving Alliance

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance (WGA) is an association of charities formed by a merger of the National Charities Information Bureau (NCIB) and the Council of Better Business Bureaus' Foundation and its Philanthropic Advisory Service (PAS).

Standards for Charity Accountability

In 2003, the WGA adopted a set of twenty "Standards for Charity Accountability". These standards replaced earlier versions by the PAS and the NCIB. The WGA developed these standards in conjunction with the Better Business Bureau, professional accounting organizations, charitable organizations, and foundations that fund grants.

The WGA explains that these standards were developed "to assist donors in making sound giving decisions and to foster public confidence in charitable organizations. The standards seek to encourage fair and honest solicitation practices, to promote ethical conduct by charitable organizations and to advance support of philanthropy."

The standards set a baseline for ethical governance, responsible fundraising, and transparency of financial operations.

Adherence to the Standards for Charity Accountability is voluntary; no charity is legally bound to submit documentation of its operations to the WGA. The absence of documentation, or the absence of a charity's inclusion in the BBB reporting system, may not necessarily indicate negative or unlawful behavior on the part of the charity.

Analysing charities

There are a number of services such as BBB Wise Giving Alliance that rate and recommend charities including GuideStar and Charity Navigator. Services such as Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, New Philanthropy Capital, Geneva Global, and Development Ratings have sophisticated methodologies for analysing how a charity makes an impact and the social return that donors can get from supporting a charity.

Charities in the WGA

• American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities
• Alternative Gifts International
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
• Susan G. Komen for the Cure
• SOS Children's Villages - USA

See also

• Charitable organization
• Philanthropy

References

External links

• BBB Wise Giving Alliance official web site
• Charity Gift Cards