Remembrance Day marks the beginning of a busy charity season and the Better Business Bureau is reminding residents to take care which charities they donate to this season.
To help people choose, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, the national charity monitoring association, has developed a set of 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
The standards help ensure the credibility of charities and educate consumers about potentially fraudulent charities.
The BBB helps out by identifying legitimate charities with accreditations, but illegal organizations continue to exist.
"Unfortunately there are dishonest and unethical organizations out there masking as true charities, especially as a military-affiliated charity this time of year," says Sandra Crozier-McKee, president and CEO of the BBB serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay. "The best thing consumers can do is to do their research and check with the BBB before making a donation of any kind. People work hard to make an honest living and we want to help them give to an honest cause."
The BBB offers the following tips concerning charities involving veterans and military-affiliated organizations:
- Pay attention to names – many veterans’ charities include the same words in different orders or in different forms
- Identify the organizations programs and what they do to help – do they properly explain how your donations help?
- Do not hesitate to ask for information from charities that use telemarketing as a way to solicit donations
- Be wary of on-the-spot donation decisions – don’t feel pressured to make an immediate choice
- Think about donating something else other than money – find out how the charity benefits from the collection and resale of used clothing or other in-kind gifts
- Check up on a charity through multiple source before giving – it’s important to look at resources like the Canada Revenue Charity Listings and look up charity contact information
For more information visit the BBB website.
