Caller to BBB: “This is crazy! My mail is stuffed with letters asking donations to charities I have never heard of. I know charities ask for money at holiday time, but this is ridiculous. How do I know which charities are good and which ones are just big scams?”
BBB says it’s a good question. The number of charities has increased dramatically in the past few years, and we are concerned about the “look alikes”; the ones that take names of important causes like “cancer”,”diabetes”,”veterans”,”police,” and so forth. Don’t assume because they claim to help that they are legitimate. BBB issues reports on charities and we see that many of these so-called charities spend almost nothing on helping others and pocket most of your donation to cover fund raising and administration expenses.
Our local BBB rates over 100 local charities and we can tell you if they meet our 20 Standards for Charitable Accountability. We are the only organization that rates local charities. If you want ratings for national charities, BBB provides them at Give.org. Make sure the charities you donate to meet ethical standards so your money really helps the cause you believe in and isn’t wasted! You can call BBB at (419) 531-3116 or (800) 743-4222.
