REPLY to Oceana, re. EarthShare Member Criteria
Posted by Info@EarthShare  |  July 30, 2008 5:52:49 AM

We invite you to contact us through EarthShare’s website in the future so we can guarantee the quickest possible reply. EarthShare values the service that Charity Navigator provides to help donors make informed decisions. EarthShare & Charity Navigator have very different methods of reviewing charities; CN determines ‘efficiency’ from a mathematical formula based on 990 returns. Of EarthShare’s 61 national member charities only 47 are evaluated on CN; of these 47, 35 have received 3-4 star ratings. That’s why federations like EarthShare are so important. We honor our responsibility by conducting a thorough annual charity review that involves far more than verifying tax status. EarthShare has limits on overheads & also requires its members to provide substantial evidence of program work. This includes determining that each has provided or conducted real services, benefits, assistance or program activities in 15 or more different states or in a foreign country over the preceding 3-year period. Our participation requirements are currently more stringent than those mandated by the Combined Federal Campaign, the largest workplace charity campaign in the U.S. & the only campaign authorized to collect contributions from federal employees in the workplace. EarthShare members that fail to meet one or more of our requirements may face penalties up to & including expulsion from the federation. EarthShare has withdrawn membership privileges in the past from organizations that have not met our requirements. You can view all of these requirements here: www.earthshare.org/about_us/eligibility.html. Giving is a personal choice & EarthShare recognizes this & offers giving options to suit each individual: one gift to EarthShare is distributed to all of our carefully screened member charities, or a donor may choose to give to one or any combination of our members. We encourage our donors to be informed & direct their gifts where they see fit. Thank you for your

Member Organization Eligibility Criteria
Posted by Oceana  |  June 9, 2008 5:53:10 AM

Dear Mr. Stein,

I was interested in donating to Earth Share because it seemed like a good way to support easily several environmental groups. I began researching Earth Share member organizations in Charity Navigator. What a surprise! A significant percentage of the Earth Share member organizations merit only a 1 or 2 star rating in Charity Navigator. I became concerned that my donation might be given to a charitable organization that is not operating in an efficient or productive manner. I then read Earth Share's "criteria" for its member organizations. It seems Earth Share does not do much more than ensure the charity's tax status. What does Earth Share do to measure or ensure the operational effectiveness of the member organizations? Doesn't this seem like something that is a very important criterion for membership? I think I'll donate my money elsewhere until I am assured Earth Share is monitoring the performance of it's member organizations in some manner. If I have to do it myself using Charity Navigator then what is the point of donating to Earth Share?