Watchdog Watch

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.

ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, also known as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105; http://www.stjude.org. Meets all standards.

Childhood Leukemia Foundation, 1608 Route 88 West, Suite 203, Brick, N.J. 08724; http://www.clf4kids.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 the Childhood Leukemia Foundation meets the standards.

Christian Broadcasting Network, 977 Centreville Turnpike, Virginia Beach, Va. 23463; http://www.cbn.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 the Christian Broadcasting Network meets the standards.

Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, 1 Elmwood Avenue, Kansas City, Kan. 66103; http://www.cfcausa.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.

Concert Productions, 295 Huntington Avenue, Suite 201, Boston, Mass. 02112; http://www.fromthetop.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 Concert Productions meets the standards.

Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, 3440 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 100, Hollywood, Fla. 33021; http://www.drinet.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 minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body, with the majority of board members attending each meeting in person; (3) have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year that outlines expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration; (4) 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 (5) take action to ensure that privacy concerns of donors are respected in the collection, dissemination, and securing of personal information, and allow donors opportunities to have their names removed from solicitation lists. As of October 2004, the organization had not provided complete information about its effectiveness measures. Therefore, the alliance is unable to determine if the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation meets one additional standard.

Earth Island Institute, 300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Francisco, Calif. 94133; http://www.earthisland.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-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year that outlines expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration; and (3) have an accessible annual report that includes financial information on the group’s net assets. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided complete information about its effectiveness measures. Therefore, the alliance is unable to determine if the Earth Island Institute meets one additional standard.

First Candle/SIDS Alliance, also known as the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Alliance, 1314 Bedford Avenue, Suite 210, Baltimore, Md. 21208; http://www.firstcandle.org. Does not meet the standards calling for a charitable organization to: (1) 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; (2) 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; (3) have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year that outlines expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration; (4) 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 (5) 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. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided complete information about its governance and oversight. Therefore, the alliance is unable to determine if First Candle/SIDS Alliance meets one additional standard.

Girl Scouts of the United States of America, 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018; http://www.girlscouts.org. Meets all standards.

Habitat for Humanity International, 121 Habitat Street, Americus, Ga. 31709; http://www.habitat.org. Meets all standards.

Helen Keller International, also known as ChildSight, 352 Park Avenue South, Suite 1200, New York, N.Y. 10010; http://www.hki.org. Meets all standards.

Jewish National Fund, 42 East 69th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021; http://www.jnf.org. Meets all standards.

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250, Dallas, Tex. 75244; http://www.komen.org. Meets all standards.

Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, also known as Mission of Our Lady of Mercy, 1140 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Ill. 60607; http://www.mercyhome.org. Does not meet the standards calling for a charitable organization to: (1) have no more than one compensated person, or 10 percent of the board, whichever is greater, serving as a voting member of the board; (2) spend at least 65 percent of its expenses on program activities; and (3) accurately report expenses in financial statements. In addition, the alliance disagrees with the organization’s method of allocating joint costs and is therefore unable to determine if the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls meets one additional standard.

Orphanage Outreach, 6611 West Robert E. Lee Street, Glendale, Ariz. 85308; http://www.orphanage-outreach.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 Orphanage Outreach meets the standards.

Project A.L.S., 511 Avenue of the Americas, PMB 341, New York, N.Y. 10011; http://www.projectals.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 Project A.L.S. meets the standards.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 1100 17th Street, 10th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036; http://www.railtrails.org. Does not meet the standard calling for a charitable organization to spend at least 65 percent of its expenses on program activities.

Seva Foundation, 1786 Fifth Street, Berkeley, Calif. 94710; http://www.seva.org. Meets all standards.

United Methodist Committee on Relief, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, N.Y. 10115; http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor. Meets all standards.

Wilderness Society, 1615 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036; http://www.wilderness.org. Meets all standards.

Women’s American ORT, 250 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10003; http://www.waort.org. Does not meet the standards calling for a charitable organization to: (1) 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; (2) have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year that outlines expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration; and (3) 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. As of September 2004, the organization had not provided complete information about its governance. Therefore, the alliance is unable to determine if Women’s American ORT meets one additional standard.

World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037; http://www.worldwildlife.org. Meets all standards.