Bbb Wise Giving Alliance
Bbb Wise Giving Alliance
3033 WILSON BLVD STE 710
Arlington VA 22201-3868
Arlington VA | IRS ruling year: 1976 | EIN: 52-1070270
Organization Mission
TO HELP DONORS MAKE INFORMED GIVING DECISIONS.
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3033 WILSON BLVD STE 710
Arlington VA 22201-3868
Arlington VA | IRS ruling year: 1976 | EIN: 52-1070270
Organization Mission
TO HELP DONORS MAKE INFORMED GIVING DECISIONS.
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This charity's score is 100%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated entirely from a single beacon score, weighted as follows: 100% Accountability & Finance. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Bbb Wise Giving Alliance is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Bbb Wise Giving Alliance has earned a 100% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2019, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
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Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
---|---|
$1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
$500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
---|---|
Less than 50% | Full Credit |
50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
---|---|
70% or higher | Full Credit |
60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2019
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Bbb Wise Giving Alliance) or EIN (521070270) in the 'Search Term' field.
Not Currently Scored
Bbb Wise Giving Alliance cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Bbb Wise Giving Alliance reported its two largest programs on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
PRODUCES ABOUT 1,500 REPORTS ON NATIONALLY-SOLICTING CHARITIES BASED ON THE 20 BBB STANDARDS FOR CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY. PUBLIC INQUIIES HELP DETERMINE WHICH CHARITIES ARE EVALUATED. CHARITIES CAN ALS ... (More)
PRODUCES ABOUT 1,500 REPORTS ON NATIONALLY-SOLICTING CHARITIES BASED ON THE 20 BBB STANDARDS FOR CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY. PUBLIC INQUIIES HELP DETERMINE WHICH CHARITIES ARE EVALUATED. CHARITIES CAN ALSO REQUEST TO BE EVALUATED. PRODUCES A WISE GIVING GUIDE MAGAZINE THREE TIMES PER YEAR, WHICH INCLUDES A SUMMARY LIST OF CHARITY EVALUATIONS. CHARITIES THAT MEET ALL 20 STANDARDS ARE CALLED BBB ACCREDITED CHARITIES. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR CHARITY ACCREDITATION AND THE RESULTING REPORTS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC AT GIVE.ORG. ACCREDITED CHARITIES HAVE THE OPTION OF LICENSING A BBB CHARITY SEAL FOR A SLIDING SCALE FEE. OF THE CHARITIES THAT PROVIDE REQUESTED INFORMATION, 70% WERE FOUND TO MEET ALL 2O BBB CHARITY STANDARDS AND 30% DID NOT MEET ONE OR MORE OF THE STANDARDS. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.)THE CURRENT NAME, BBB WISE GIVING ALLIANCE (BBB WGA) BEGAN TO BE USED IN 2001. HOWEVER, UNDER PREVIOUS NAMES, THE LEGACY OF BBB REPORTING ON NATIONAL CHARITIES DATES BACK TO THE 1920'S.IN ADDITION TO ITS LONG HISTORY, ONE OF THE KEY DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN BBB WGA AND OTHER CHARITY MONITORING ORGANIZATIONS IS THAT IT IS A STANDARDS-BASED CHARITY EVALUATOR. THE 20 BBB STANDARDS FOR CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY ADDRESS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, CHARITY GOVERNANCE, FINANCES, RESULTS REPORTING, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCURATE APPEALS. THESE STANDARDS SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR RIGOROUS EVALUATIONS COMPLETED BY THE BBB WGA EXPERT RESEARCH STAFF. A DETAILED EXPLANATION OF HOW EACHSTANDARD IS APPLIED APPEARS ON GIVE.ORG.ON THE GIVE.ORG WEBSITE, A WEEKLY "WISE GIVING WEDNESDAY' BLOG ADDRESSES VARIOUS CHARITY ACOUNTABILITY ISSUES, SUCH AS ADVICE ON GIVING TO VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS AND SIGNALS OF TRUST FOR CHARITIES. DURING 2019, THE BLOG REACHED THE MILESTONE OF 250 POSTINGS SINCE ITS INCEPTION. THE BLOG ALSO INCLUDES A 'BUILDING TRUST' VIDEO SERIES WHICH CONSISTS OF INTERVIEWS WITH CEO'S OF MAJOR CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS.IN NOVEMBER 2019, BBB WGA RELEASED THE SECOND EDITION OF THE GIVE.ORG DONOR TRUST REPORT; AN IN-DEPTH LOOK INTO THE STATE OF TRUST IN THE CHARITABLE SECTOR. THE REPORT, A SURVEY OF 2,100 ADULTS IN THE U.S., EXPLORES DONOR BELIEFS, FEELINGS, AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS RELATED TO CHARITY TRUST AND GIVING. ONE OF THE KEY FINDINGS WAS THAT, WHILE THE MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS (70 PERCENT) SAID IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO TRUST A CHARITY BEFORE GIVING, ONLY 19 PERCENT SAY THEY HIGHLY TRUST CHARITIES.IN JULY 2019, BBB WGA DISTRIBUTED A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE GIVE.ORG DONOR TRUST REPORT THAT FOCUSED ON DISASTER RELIEF DONOR EXPECTIONS. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE CLARITY OF DISASTER RELIEF APPEALS, ONLY 24% OF SURVEY PARTICIPANTS BELIEVED DISASTER APPEALS CLEARLY EXPLAINED WHAT ACTIVITIES THE CHARITY WOULD ACCOMPLISH. IN 2019, BBB WGA BEGAN WORK ON DEVELOPING A NEW DESIGN FOR ITS GIVE.ORG WEBSITE. AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE NEW SITE (WHICH LAUNCHED IN 2020) SEEKS TO PROVIDE DONORS WITH IMPROVED ACCESS TO CHARITY REPORTS AND WISE GIVING INFORMATION. NEW FEATURES ALSO WERE ADDED FOR CHARITIES TO HELP STRENGTHEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES. (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
THE ADVANCING COLLABORATION PROJECT STARTED IN 2017 AS AN ARTICLE SERIES CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STANFORD SOCIAL INNOVATION REVIEW. THESE ARTICLES SOUGHT TO ENCOURAGE CHARITIES TO SEEK OUT NEW PAR ... (More)
THE ADVANCING COLLABORATION PROJECT STARTED IN 2017 AS AN ARTICLE SERIES CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STANFORD SOCIAL INNOVATION REVIEW. THESE ARTICLES SOUGHT TO ENCOURAGE CHARITIES TO SEEK OUT NEW PARTNERSHIPS AS A WAY TO REACH LARGER AUDIENCES WHILE SHARI (Less)
Bbb Wise Giving Alliance cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Bbb Wise Giving Alliance cannot currently be evaluated by our Leadership & Adaptability methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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