Watchdog Watch
June 28, 2007 | Read Time: 2 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.
Children’s Health Fund, 317 East 64th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021; http://www.childrenshealthfund.org. Does not meet the standards 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 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.
Foundation Fighting Blindness, formerly known as the National Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation, 11435 Cronhill Drive, Owings Mills, Md. 21117; http://www.blindness.org. Meets all standards.
Globus Relief, formerly known as the Globus ReliefFund Foundation, 1775 West 1500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84104; http://www.globusrelief.org. Meets all standards.
National Center for Learning Disabilities, 381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1401, New York, N.Y. 10016; http://www.ncld.org. Meets all standards.
Pulmonary Hypertension Association, formerly known as United Patient’s Association for Pulmonary Hypertension, 801 Roeder Road, Suite 400, Silver Spring, Md. 20910; http://www.phassociation.org. Does not meet the standards calling for a charitable organization to have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity’s operations and staff; and 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 activities.
Tibetan Aid Project, also known as the Tibetan Nyingma Relief Foundation, 2910 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, Calif. 94702; http://www.tibetanaidproject.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; (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) make available annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; and (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.
