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| June 7, 2004 | |||||||||
| Better Business Bureau Charity Seal Program | |||||||||
The Metro New York Better Business Bureau's Foundation is pleased to announce its new Charity Seal Program. This new initiative is aimed at New York-area charitable organizations, and provides a unique and recognizable way for charities to express their commitment to ethical standards in charitable accountability. The Better Business Bureau/Wise Giving Alliance (BBB/WGA) Standards for Charitable Accountability went into effect in March of 2003. These standards establish acceptable practices for charities in areas including governance, public disclosure of financial reporting, public accountability, donor privacy and other issues of concern to New York State charities. Charities that meet all 20 of the BBB/WGA standards will be able to take part in this new program. Qualified charities will be able to display the Charity Seal in their solicitation materials, on their web sites, and in other business communications such as annual reports, posters and company letterheads. By using this seal, charities can effectively communicate their commitment to ethical operating standards to donors as well as partners. "In recent years, a variety of issues in charitable accountability have taken center stage in the public spotlight," says Ronna Brown, President of the BBB Foundation serving Metro New York, "Many charities are concerned about this and are seeking ways to assure donors that their organizations are operating responsibly. A charity's willingness to comply with our standards demonstrates a significant commitment to proper accountability. We hope that the Charity Seal Program can encourage greater confidence in giving by making it easy to identify those charities which conform to high ethical standards." The Metro New York Better Business Bureau will continue to report on charities based on public or organizational requests at no charge. In order to use the seal, however, charities will pay an annual licensing fee.
Please view the BBB's report on The Doe Fund at their web site:
The Metro New York BBB Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, receives the bulk of its support from BBB members and private foundations and works in partnership with the Metro New York Better Business Bureau. The Better Business Bureau Serving Metropolitan New York is a private non-profit corporation that receives no government funding and is supported by responsible businesses and consumers. | |||||||||
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