Watchdog Watch

February 8, 2007 | Read Time: 5 minutes

Following are summaries of recent reports by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. This private group reports on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public information. The alliance does not approve or disapprove of charities, and urges potential donors to evaluate the importance of variations from the standards. It also notes that charities’ practices may change at any time. For organizations that do not meet the standards, information is given only on those standards that are not met. Those organizations meet all the other standards.

Copies of the full reports are available from the Wise Giving Alliance, 4200 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va. 22203; http://give.org.

Alzheimer’s Association, 225 North Michigan Avenue, 17th Floor, Chicago, Ill. 60601-7633; http://www.alz.org. Meets all standards.

America’s Second Harvest-the Nation’s Food Bank Network, 35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 2000, Chicago, Ill. 60601; http://www.secondharvest.org. Meets all standards.

American Center for Law and Justice, 201 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002; http://www.aclj.org. As of December 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the American Center for Law and Justice meets the standards.

American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, Tex. 75231; http://www.americanheart.org. Meets all standards.

American Humane Association, 63 Inverness Drive East, Englewood, Colo. 80112; http://www.americanhumane.org. Meets all standards.

American Lung Association, 61 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10006; http://www.lungusa.org. Meets all standards.

Americans for United Nations Population Fund, 370 Lexington Avenue, Suite 702, New York, N.Y. 10017; http://www.americansforunfpa.org. Does not meet the standards calling for a charitable organization to: (1) have a minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body, with the majority of board members attending each meeting in person; (2) have a board policy for assessing, at least every two years, the organization’s performance and effectiveness and for determining actions to achieve its mission; (3) include in its financial statement a breakdown of expenses (such as salaries, travel, and postage) that shows what portion of those expenses is dedicated to program activities; and (4) have an accessible annual report that includes a roster of officers and members of the board of directors.

CARE USA, 151 Ellis Street, N.E., Atlanta, Ga. 30303; http://www.careusa.org. Meets all standards.

Christian Children’s Fund, 2821 Emerywood Parkway, P.O. Box 26484, Richmond, Va. 23294; http://www.christianchildrensfund.org. Meets all standards.

Christopher Reeve Foundation, formerly known as the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, 636 Morris Avenue, Suite 3A, Short Hills, N.J. 07078; http://www.christopherreeve.org. Meets all standards.

Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, 1120 20th Street, NW, Suite 750 South, Washington, D.C. 20036; http://www.clb.org. As of November 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind meets the standards.

Conservation International Foundation, 1919 M Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20036; http://www.conservation.org. As of December 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Conservation International Foundation meets the standards.

Easter Seals, 230 West Monroe Street, Suite 1800, Chicago, Ill. 60606-4802; http://www.easterseals.org. Meets all standards.

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, 1140 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20036; http://www.pedaids.org. As of December 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation meets the standards.

Global Fund for Women, 1375 Sutter Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, Calif. 94109; http://www.globalfundforwomen.org. As of December 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Global Fund for Women meets the standards.

Grameen Foundation USA, 1029 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20005; http://www.gfusa.org. As of December 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Grameen Foundation USA meets the standards.

Greenpeace Fund, formerly known as Greenpeace USA, 702 H Street, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20001; http://www.greenpeacefund.org. Meets all standards.

KaBoom, 4455 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite B100, Washington, D.C. 20008; http://www.kaboom.org. Meets all standards.

Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, 1611 North Kent Street, Suite 901, Arlington, Va. 22209; http://www.leldf.org. As of November 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund meets the standards.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, 700 Light Street, Baltimore, Md. 21230; http://www.lirs.org. Meets all standards.

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, N.Y. 10163; http://www.michaeljfox.org. Meets all standards.

Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 405 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1601, New York, N.Y. 10174; http://www.drugfree.org. Meets all standards.

PetSmart Charities, 19601 North 27th Avenue, Phoenix, Ariz. 85027; http://www.petsmartcharities.org. Does not meet the standards calling for a charitable organization to: (1) have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity’s operations and staff; (2) have a board policy for assessing, at least every two years, the organization’s performance and effectiveness and for determining actions to achieve its mission; and (3) include in its financial statement a breakdown of expenses (such as salaries, travel, and postage) that shows what portion of those expenses is dedicated to program, fund-raising, and administrative activities.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 434 West 33rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10001; http://www.plannedparenthood.org. Meets all standards.

Save the Children Federation, 54 Wilton Road, Westport, Conn. 06880; http://www.savethechildren.org. Meets all standards.

Seacology, 2009 Hopkins Street, Berkeley, Calif. 94707; http://www.seacology.org. Meets all standards.

Simon Wiesenthal Center, 1399 South Roxbury Drive, Los Angeles, Calif. 90035; http://www.wiesenthal.com. Does not meet the standard calling for a charitable organization to have a minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body, with the majority of board members attending each meeting in person.

United States Association for UNHCR, also known as USA for UNHCR, 1775 K Street, N.W., Suite 290, Washington, D.C. 20006; http://www.usaforunhcr.org. Meets all standards.