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Alternative Gifts featured on Consumers Advocate Site

October 22, 2018

Here is a snippet from the feature story:

ACCREDITATION IS A BIG DEAL FOR CHARITIES AND DONORS

To encourage sound charity practices, the Wise Giving Alliance established 20 Standards for Charity Accountability that became the foundation of a comprehensive accreditation process. The WGA codified the principles of charity administration and called for charities to voluntarily adhere to them. This voluntary accreditation process soon became the model for effective charitable monitoring and review.

Complying with these standards gives charities a twofold benefit. First, it confers distinction and includes them in a community of responsible, self-regulating charitable organizations. It provides charities with a roadmap to ethical and efficient operation. This helps charities achieve their primary goal: to help people effectively and efficiently. Second, complying with the WGA standards confers legitimacy on a charity in the eyes of potential donors. Accredited charities have the option of displaying the national charity seal by signing a licensing agreement and paying an annual fee. Bennett Weiner, Chief Operating Officer of the Wise Giving Alliance, asserts that “the seal provides a symbol of trust assurance in a visual format that can be quickly identified.” This encourages philanthropists to donate with confidence.

It can be difficult to determine which charities are worthwhile and reliable. Donors want to trust that their hard-earned money is going to be spent wisely and in a manner that benefits their chosen cause. By establishing a set of transparent guidelines for good practices and encouraging charities to willingly participate in enforcing them, Give.org provides donors with a sense of how organizations are administered and how their funds are utilized. Guesswork is taken out of the equation. The burdensome research process that can consume so much time and energy is taken over by the WGA and is summarized on Give.org. Donors can focus more on their philanthropic goals than on the risk that their donations may be mismanaged.

Surinder Moore, the Executive Director of Alternative Gifts International, notes that “more than ever donors are keeping a close eye on the charities they gift to. They want to be assured that their hard-earned money is going to a reputable non-profit.” Because of this, she says “accreditation is an important piece of assuring donors that they are doing business with a vetted charity. We have high standards for how we conduct business and being validated by the BBB affirms that we take accountability seriously.”

Read the full story about Give.org here: https://www.consumersadvocate.org/features/give-org

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