Watchdog Watch
October 30, 1997 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Following are summaries of recent reports by the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Philanthropic Advisory Service.
The service reports on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public information. The service cautions that it does not approve or disapprove of charities, and it urges potential donors to evaluate the importance of variations from the standards. The service also notes that charities’ practices may change at any time.
In the list of organizations that do not meet the standards, information is given only on standards that are not met. Those organizations meet all the other standards.
Copies of the full reports are available from the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Philanthropic Advisory Service, 4200 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va.; World-Wide Web http://www.bbb.org.
American Foundation for AIDS Research, 733 Third Avenue, 12th Floor, New York 10017. Meets all standards.
Catholic Relief Services, 209 West Fayette Street, Baltimore 21201-3443. Does not meet the standard calling for the organization’s financial statements to contain a detailed schedule of expenses by natural classification for each of its major programs and supporting activities.
Christian Children’s Fund, 2821 Emerywood Parkway, P.O. Box 26484, Richmond, Va. 23261-6484. Meets all standards.
Christian Relief Services, 8815 Telegraph Road, Lorton, Va. 22079-1530. Does not meet the standard calling for solicitations and informational materials, distributed by any means, to be accurate, truthful and not misleading, both in whole and in part. The bureau stated that one of Christian Relief Services’ program areas, Americans Helping Americans, used two direct-mail appeals in 1996 that featured a summer-camp program and included outdated testimonials from children. In addition, the bureau stated that a 1996 appeal from C.R.S.’s Bread and Water for Africa program included photographs of emaciated children that were taken circa 1990. Christian Relief Services replied that the camp-program testimonials were meant to be a composite representation of the children served by the program, and that the photographs of the emaciated children were intended to be timeless, and representative of current plight. C.R.S. further stated that it is incorporating the bureau’s suggestions into its future appeals.
The Orphan Foundation of America, 380 Maple Avenue, West, Suite LL5, Vienna, Va. 22180-5616. Does not meet the following standards: (1) that the organization provide on request an annual report that includes a roster, including officers, of the governing board; (2) that solicitations made in conjunction with the sale of goods, services, or admission identify the actual or anticipated portion of the sales or admission price to benefit the charitable organization or cause; and (3) that the organization have an active governing body that meets at least three times annually.
