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.

Africa Renewal Ministries, P.O. Box 781671, San Antonio, Tex. 78278; http://www.africarenewal.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Africa Renewal Ministries meets the standards.

Agros International, 4528 Eighth Avenue, N.E., Suite 1A, Seattle, Wash. 98105; http://www.agros.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Agros International meets the standards.

AIDS Orphans and Street Children, formerly known as Teen Missions International, 865 East Hall Road, Merritt Island, Fla. 32953; http://www.aidsorphans.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if AIDS Orphans and Street Children meets the standards.

Ambassadors for Children, 3620 North Washington Boulevard, Indianapolis, Ind. 45205; http://www.ambassadorsforchildren.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Ambassadors for Children meets the standards.

Atlas Economic Research Foundation, 2000 North 14th Street, Suite 550, Arlington, Va. 22201; http://www.atlasusa.org. As of August 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Atlas Economic Research Foundation meets the standards.

Bike and Build, 190 North 10th Street, Suite 308, New York, N.Y. 11308; http://www.bikeandbuild.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Bike and Build meets the standards.

Cancer Center for Detection and Prevention, formerly known as the Pacific West Cancer Fund, 5342 Northwest 25th Street, P.O. Box 8925, Topeka, Kan. 66608; http://www.tccdp.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Cancer Center for Detection and Prevention meets the standards.

Caribbean Conservation Corporation, also known as the Sea Turtle Survival League, 4424 Northwest 13th Street, Suite A-1, Gainesville, Fla. 32609; http://www.cccturtle.org. As of August 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Caribbean Conservation Corporation meets the standards.

Caribbean Lifetime Missions, also known as Faith Clinic Ministries, 166 Saybrooke Crossing, Acworth, Ga. 30101; http://www.clmissions.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Caribbean Lifetime Missions meets the standards.

Center for Auto Safety, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 330, Washington, D.C. 20009; http://www.autosafety.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Center for Auto Safety meets the standards.

Center for Watershed Protection, 8390 Main Street, Second Floor, Ellicott City, Md. 21043; http://www.cwp.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Center for Watershed Protection meets the standards.

Children’s Hunger Relief Fund, P.O. Box 5366, Santa Rosa, Calif. 95402; http://www.chrf.org. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Children’s Hunger Relief Fund meets the standards.

Children’s International Lifeline, 16106 Brookwood Drive, Buchanan, Mich. 49107; http://www.childrenslifeline.net. As of July 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Children’s International Lifeline meets the standards.

Children’s Literacy Initiative, 2314 Market Street, Third Floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103; http://www.cliontheweb.org. As of August 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Children’s Literacy Initiative meets the standards.

Hooved Animal Humane Society, also known as Hoofprints, 10804 McConnell Road, Woodstock, Ill. 60098; http://www.hahs.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) spend at least 65 percent of its expenses on program activities; (3) avoid accumulating funds that could be used for program activities. The charity’s unrestricted net assets should not be more than three times the size of the past year’s expenses or three times the size of the current year’s budget, whichever is higher; (4) have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year that outlines expenses for major program activities and administration; (5) have an accessible annual report that includes program accomplishments; (6) 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 (7) 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 July 2006, the organization had not provided complete information about its effectiveness measures and solicitation materials. Therefore, the alliance is unable to determine if the Hooved Animal Humane Society meets two additional standards.

Mennonite Disaster Service, 1018 Main Street, Akron, Pa. 17501; http://www.mds.mennonite.net. 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, fund-raising, and administrative activities; (4) have an accessible annual report that includes a roster of officers and members of the board of directors and financial information such as net assets, income, and expenses; (5) 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 (6) 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.

National Cancer Coalition, 757 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 202, New Orleans, La. 70130; http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org. As of August 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the National Cancer Coalition meets the standards.

National Fragile X Foundation, 1615 Bonanza Street, Room 320, Walnut Creek, Calif. 94596; http://www.fragilex.org. As of August 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the National Fragile X Foundation meets the standards.

National Narcotic Officers’ Association, P.O. Box 2456, West Covina, Calif. 91793. As of August 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the National Narcotic Officers’ Association meets the standards.

National Philanthropic Trust, 165 Township Line Road, Suite 150, Jenkintown, Pa. 19046; http://www.nptrust.org. Does not meet the standard calling for a charitable organization to 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.

National Women’s Health Network, 514 10th Street, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20004; http://www.nwhn.org. Does not meet the standards calling for a charitable organization to: (1) have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year that outlines expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration; (2) have an accessible annual report that includes financial information such as net assets; (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; and (4) 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 August 2006, the organization had not provided complete information about its finances. Therefore, the alliance is unable to determine if the National Women’s Health Network meets one additional standard.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation, 1443 East Washington Boulevard, Suite 650, Pasadena, Calif. 91104; http://www.stbaldricks.org. Does not meet the standard calling for a charitable organization to 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.

Starkey Hearing Foundation, 6700 Washington Avenue South, Eden Prairie, Minn. 55344; http://www.sotheworldmayhear.org. As of August 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if the Starkey Hearing Foundation meets the standards.

Teen Mania Ministries, P.O. Box 2000, Garden Valley, Tex. 75771; http://www.teenmania.org. As of August 2006, the organization had not provided current information about its finances, programs, and governance. The alliance is unable to determine if Teen Mania Ministries meets the standards.

VHL Family Alliance, 171 Clinton Road, Brookline, Mass. 02445; http://www.vhl.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) submit to its governing body for approval a written report outlining the results of a performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions; (4) 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; (5) have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year that outlines expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration; (6) have an accessible annual report that includes financial information such as net assets, income, and expenses; (7) 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 (8) 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.