Watchdog Watch

November 11, 2004 | Read Time: 8 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.

ALS Therapy Development Foundation, 215 First Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02142; http://www.als.net. Meets all standards.

American Association of State Troopers, 1949 Raymond Diehl Road, Tallahassee, Fla. 32308; http://www.statetroopers.org. As of October 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the American Association of State Troopers meets the standards.

American Breast Cancer Foundation, 1055 Taylor Avenue, Baltimore, Md. 21286; http://www.abcf.org. As of October 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the American Breast Cancer Foundation meets the standards.

American Farmland Trust, 1200 18th Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20036; http://www.farmland.org. Meets all standards.

American Federation of Police and Concerned Citizens, 6350 Horizon Drive, Titusville, Fla. 32780; http://www.aphf.org/afp_cc.html. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the American Federation of Police and Concerned Citizens meets the standards.

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

American Parkinson Disease Association, 1250 Hylan Boulevard, Suite 4B, Staten Island, N.Y. 10305-1946; http://www.apdaparkinson.org. Meets all standards.

Andrew’s Buddies, P.O. Box 785, Richmond, Va. 23218-0785; http://www.fightsma.com. As of October 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Andrew’s Buddies meets the standards.

Association on American Indian Affairs, Box 268, Sisseton, S.D. 57262; http://www.indian-affairs.org. As of October 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Association on American Indian Affairs meets the standards.

Bubel Aiken Foundation, 130 East Randolph, Suite 3800, Chicago, Ill. 60601; http://www.thebubelaikenfoundation.org. As of October 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Bubel Aiken Foundation meets the standards.

Cancer Fund of America, also known as the Children’s Cancer Foundation, 2901 Breezewood Lane, Knoxville, Tenn. 37921; http://www.cfoa.org. As of August 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Cancer Fund of America meets the standards.

Canine Companions for Independence, 2965 Dutton Avenue, Santa Rosa, Calif. 95407; http://www.cci.org. Meets all standards.

Childreach/Plan USA, also known as Plan USA, 155 Plan Way, Warwick, R.I. 02886-1099. Meets all standards.

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49560-0600; http://www.crwrc.org. Meets all standards.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, also know as the Jimmy Fund, 44 Binney Street, Suite BP600, Boston, Mass. 02115-6084; http://www.dana-farber.org. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute meets the standards.

Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation, 1206 Potomac Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007; http://www.diabeteswellness.net. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation meets the standards.

Financial Assistance Network, P.O. Box 60848, Washington, D.C. 20039-0848. As of October 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Financial Assistance Network meets the standards.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind, 611 Granite Springs Road, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. 10598; http://www.guidingeyes.org. Meets all standards.

International Eye Foundation, 10801 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington, Md. 20895; http://www.iefusa.org. Meets all standards.

International Fund for Animal Welfare, 411 Main Street, Yarmouth Port, Mass. 02675-1843; http://www.ifaw.org. Does not meet the standard calling for a charitable organization to clearly disclose how the charity benefits from the sale of products or services that state or imply that a charity will benefit from a consumer’s purchase or business transaction.

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

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Colonial Place Three, 2107 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va. 22201; http://www.nami.org. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill meets the standards.

National Anti-Vivisection Society, 53 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1552, Chicago, Ill. 60604; http://www.navs.org. Does not meet the standards calling for a charitable organization to include on Web sites that solicit contributions the same information recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990; and to clearly disclose how the charity benefits from the sale of products or services that state or imply that a charity will benefit from a consumer’s purchase or business transaction.

National Association of Chiefs of Police, 3801 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Fla. 33137-3732; http://www.aphf.org/nacop.html. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the National Association of Chiefs of Police meets the standards.

National Association of Police Athletic Leagues, also known as the National Police Athletic League, 618 U.S. Highway 1, Suite 201, North Palm Beach, Fla. 33408-4609; http://www.nationalpal.org. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues meets the standards.

National Audubon Society, 700 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10003; http://www.audubon.org. As of August 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the National Audubon Society meets the standards.

National Center for Learning Disabilities, 381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1401, New York, N.Y. 10016; http://www.ncld.org. Meets all standards.

National Children’s Leukemia Foundation, 172 Madison Avenue, Suite 502, New York, N.Y. 10016; http://www.leukemiafoundation.org. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the National Children’s Leukemia Foundation meets the standards.

Native American Rights Fund, 1506 Broadway, Boulder, Colo. 80302-6296; http://www.narf.org. Meets all standards.

Newborns in Need, P.O. Box 385, Houston, Mo. 65483; http://www.newbornsinneed.org. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Newborns in Need meets the standards.

Partnership for Caring, 1620 I Street N.W., Suite 202, Washington, D.C. 20006; http://www.partnershipforcaring.org. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Partnership for Caring meets the standards.

People to People International, 501 East Armour Boulevard, Kansas City, Mo. 64109-2200; http://www.ptpi.org. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if People to People International meets the standards.

Police Protective Fund, 1114 West Seventh Street, Suite 3, Austin, Tex. 78703; http://www.policeprotectivefund.org. As of July 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Police Protective Fund meets the standards.

Prison Fellowship Ministries, 1856 Old Reston Avenue, Reston, Va. 20190; http://www.pfm.org. Does not meet the standard calling for a charitable organization to have no more than one compensated person, or 10 percent of the board, whichever is greater, serving as a voting member of the board, and for compensated members not to serve as the board’s chair.

SADD, also known as Students Against Destructive Decisions, 255 Main Street, P.O. Box 800, Marlborough, Mass. 01752; http://www.sadd.org. Does not meet the standards calling for a charitable organization to: (1) spend at least 65 percent of its expenses on program activities; (2) spend no more than 35 percent of contributions on fund raising; and (3) have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year that outlines expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration.

Save a Child Foundation, 5154 Miller Road, Suite D, Flint, Mich. 48507-1069. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Save a Child Foundation meets the standards.

Sierra Club Foundation, 85 Second Street, Suite 750, San Francisco, Calif. 94105-3465; http://www.tscf.org. Meets all standards.

United Palestinian Appeal, 1330 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., Suite 104, Washington, D.C. 20036; http://www.helpupa.com. Meets all standards.