Bbb Wise Giving Alliance

What it reported doing in 2024

Bbb wga produces about 1,500 reports on nationally-solicting charities based on the 20 bbb standards for charity accountability. Public inquiries help determine which charities are evaluated. Charities can also request to be evaluated. Produces a wise giving guide magazine three times per year, which includes a summary list of charity evaluations. Charities that meet all 20 standards are called bbb accredited charities. There is no charge for charity accreditation and the resulting reports are free to the public at give.org. Accredited charities have the option of licensing a bbb charity seal for a sliding scale fee. Of the charities that provide requested information, 70% were found to meet all 2o bbb charity standards and 30% did not meet one or more of the standards.the current name, bbb wise giving alliance (bbb wga) began to be used in 2001. However, under previous names, the legacy of bbb reporting on national charities dates back to the 1920's.in addition to its long history, one of the key distinctions between bbb wga and other charity monitoring organizations is that it is a standards-based charity evaluator. The 20 bbb standards for charity accountability address, among other things, charity governance, finances, results reporting, transparency and accurate appeals. These standards serve as the basis for rigorous evaluations completed by the bbb wga expert research staff. A detailed explanation of how each standard is applied appears on give.org.bbb wga publishes a magazine three times a year, the wise giving guide, that features cover stories on charity accountability topics along with a summary chart of its most current national charity evaluations. Cover story topics in 2024 included: contemplating cause-related marketing, public eye on charity accountability, and 2024 donor hanbookthe give.org website includes a weekly "wise giving wednesday' posting that addresses various charity acountability issues, such as advice on giving to disaster relief organizations and signals of trust for charities. Other topic examples during 2024 included concerns about cybersecurity, guidelines for good governance, celebrating volunteers, and the ethical use of photos in charity appeals. During 2024 wise giving wednesday had its 500th post.bbb wga also continued its 'building trust' video series which consists of interviews with ceo's of major charitable organizations.in october 2024, bbb wga participated in international charity fraud awareness week, which represents an international coalition of government regulators, law enforcement agencies, charities and others seeking to address charity fraud issues. Bbb wga distributed donor advice on charity fraud cautions.the heart of giving podcast entered its fifth year of production in 2024. This weekly series involves detailed discussions with charity sector leaders on various topics such as the motivations behind why we give and what drove charity executives to a career of service and giving. During 2024, the heart of givng had its 200th podcast.in november 2024, bbb wga released the seventh edition of the give.org donor trust report. This annual review of trust and giving attitudes involves an online survey of over 2,200 adults in the u.s and 1,000 in canada, which explores donor beliefs, feelings, and behavioral intentions related to charity trust and giving. One of the key findings of this latest survey showed that religiously affiliated indviduals are more likely to trust charities and be open to charitable solicitation.in july 2024, bbb wga distributed a special edition of the give.org donor trust report that focused on the puiblic perception of charity accountability. The survey showed that while the public continues to value charity finances, appeal accuracy and the protection of donor information are also top public priorities, on march 21, 2024, bbb wise giving alliance hosted a donor trust and participation event at the ford foundation center for social justice in New York c

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 83.3%; rating input score 83
• Program expense ratio: 87%; rating input score 87
• Fundraising efficiency: $4.86 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 2.7%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.67; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.77; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 42.7%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -3.1% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings