With the overwhelming response to the ALSA.org ‘Ice Water Bucket Challenge’ I thought it beneficial to share some information that has and continues to help me when it comes to supporting charities that I don’t know much of, along with a few other informative articles.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) provides “Wise Giving Reports” for all known charities which can be found here. “The BBB Wise Giving Alliance Standards for Charity Accountability were developed to assist donors in making sound giving decisions and to foster public confidence in charitable organizations. The standards seek to encourage fair and honest solicitation practices, to promote ethical conduct by charitable organizations and to advance support of philanthropy.”
BBB’s Standards for Charity Accountability

The Federal Trade Commission has also provided plenty of good information on it’s website as a guide to “before giving to a charity“. Give it a look if you receive phone calls or want to look into a charity.

Fortunately for us, both LLS and ALS meet all of the standards of the BBB and other Charity/Philanthropy Researchers! You can breath your sigh of relief now.

However not all do, so without further delay I present to you “America’s Worst Charities“! (Last updated 11/15/2013 ) The results may shock you, protect yourself and do your research! “Cancer Fund of America” Ranked #2 on the list; 0.9% SPENT ON DIRECT CASH AID, you can’t make this stuff up folks. Please give it a read, seriously. Not all charities, regardless of what name or cause they piggy back off of are what they appear to be.

And in closing, an intriguing article from April 2013, “Why the Rich Don’t Give to Charity“. The article dives into how wealth affects how much and to whom/what charity is given, it also touches on the fact that Charity in the US differs from most of the world due to our tax system. If you’re interested, give it a go. (spoiler alert: the wealthy DO give to charity)

The more you know 😉