Megan N. Miller
Posted: Friday, December 12, 2008 9:43 am

 Usually when people think of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), they think of an organization that exists to enhance trust between business and consumers. While that is your BBB’s primary purpose, it is equally important to advance the same principles between charities and donors.

Many falsely believe that within the philanthropic community, unethical practices are rare and that all charitable organizations must be closely regulated. The ugly truth is, charities are not under strict control by any specific agency or level of government and there are groups that are largely interested in taking advantage of honest donors.

According to The Council of Better Business Bureaus, 80 percent of money raised by charitable organizations in the U.S. comes from individual donors. Clearly, these generous citizens need a place to go to ensure they are dealing with a reputable charity and that their donation will be used as intended. Your BBBs Wise Giving Program focuses on providing reports to the public that consist of an organization’s programs, fund-raising methods, governance, tax status and detailed financial information. 

The information found in BBB Charity reports is voluntarily provided by the organization upon the BBB’s request. Reports are developed on organizations that are a recent subject of public inquiries, which are updated every two years. A simple way to recognize whether or not an organization has been evaluated by the BBB is by its display of the BBB Accredited Charity Seal. Remember to always verify this credential and obtain the full BBB Charity report on any other charity of interest by visiting www.denver.bbb.org or by calling 303-758-2100.