BBB Tip: Give Wisely to a Veterans Charity This Memorial Day

Many donors want to support veterans and military service charities in honor of Memorial Day weekend. BBB’s Give.org is pleased to share the following tips to make sure contributors can donate with confidence and avoid questionable appeal circumstances.

Tips to Evaluate a Charity

  • Do You Know the Exact Name of the Charity?  Look at the charity name carefully since some veterans organizations have similar sounding names.
  • What Are the Charity’s Programs?  You cannot assume what the veterans organization does based on their name alone. Visit the charity’s website and view the appeal to see if it includes a clear description of the charity’s programs.
  • Do You Take Precautions on Phone Appeals?  Some charity telemarketing campaigns can be expensive if not managed well, with little going to the charity. Don’t hesitate to ask for written information or visit the group’s website to find out about its programs and finances before making a giving decision.
  • Were You Pressured to Give Immediately?  Charities will be happy to receive your donation at your convenience. Be wary of solicitors demanding an on-the-spot giving decision.
  • Ask the Charity How They Benefit From Donated Clothing or Other Items? Many veterans and military service organizations will be pleased to receive donated items such as used clothing, but visit their website or call them to verify they take such donations. Also don’t hesitate to ask them how they benefit. Sometimes the charity receives only a small portion of the resale price of the item or may have a contractual arrangement to get a flat fee for every household pick-up, no matter what the contents.
  • Have You Vetted the Charity with Outside Sources?  Access BBB charity reports on BBB’s Give.org to see if they meet the BBB Charity Standards. Also see if the charity is registered with your state government’s charity registration agency, usually a division of either the Attorney General’s office or Secretary of State’s office. About 40 U.S. states require charities to register.

Military Charities that Meet Give.org Standards

This list shows veterans and military service charities that meet all 20 of the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability (i.e., BBB Accredited Charities.) Click on the report links to access reports on each group.

 

ABOUT BBB Wise Giving Alliance:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB’s Give.org) is a standards-based charity evaluator that seeks to verify the trustworthiness of nationally soliciting charities by completing rigorous evaluations based on 20 holistic standards that address charity governance, results reporting, finances, fundraising, appeal accuracy, and other issues. National charity reports are produced by BBB’s Give.org and local charity reports are produced by local Better Business Bureaus – all reports are available at Give.org.

Information courtesy of the Better Business Bureau