Watchdog Watch

May 4, 2000 | Read Time: 2 minutes

Following are summaries of recent reports by the National Charities Information Bureau.

That private organization reports on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public information. The organization 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 National Charities Information Bureau, 19 Union Square West, New York 10003; http://www.give.org.

Deafness Research Foundation, 575 Fifth Avenue, 11th Floor, New York 10017; http://www.drf.org. Does not meet the standard calling for the organization’s governing board to have in-person, face-to-face meetings, at least twice a year, evenly spaced, with a majority of voting members in attendance at each meeting.

International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region, 120 Wall Street, Ninth Floor, New York 10005; http://ippfwhr.org. Meets all standards.

International Rescue Committee, 122 East 42nd Street, 12th Floor, New York 10168-1289; http://www.intrescom.org. Meets all standards.

Medical Education for South African Blacks, 120 Albany Street Plaza, Eighth Floor, New Brunswick, N.J. 08901-2163; http://www.mesab.org. Meets all standards.

Pacific Legal Foundation, 10360 Old Placerville Road, Suite 100, Sacramento 95827; http://pacificlegal.org. Does not meet the standard calling for the organization to have a policy promoting pluralism and diversity within its board, staff, and constituencies.

The Seeing Eye, P.O. Box 375, Morristown, N.J. 07963-0375; http://www.seeingeye.org. As of March 20, the organization had not responded to the bureau’s requests with sufficient information to prepare a regular report. Based on the organization’s fiscal 1998 audited financial statements and its informational tax return, and on information forwarded by contributors or previously catalogued by the bureau, The Seeing Eye does not meet the standard calling for the organization to have net assets available for use in the following fiscal year not usually more than twice the current year’s expenses or twice the next year’s budget, whichever is higher.