Blue strike webinar charity watchdogs managing your organization's profile and ranking - june 24,...

Blue Strike Webinar: Charity Watchdogs: Managing Your Organization's Profile and Rating - June 24, 2014

CHARITY WATCHDOGS: MANAGING YOUR PROFILE AND

RATINGS

Join the webinar online. Go to http://fuze.me/23907019

Enter the meeting number: 23907019

To join from a phone: +1-201-479-4595

Participants will be muted during the presentation to maintain good sound quality. If you have a comment or question raise your flag and you will be unmuted.

Thanks and welcome to the webinar!

http://fuze.me/23907019

CHARITY WATCHDOGS Managing Your Organization’s Profi le and Ratings

BLUE STRIKE

This is a 45-minute webinar to help organizations manage their profi le and ratings with charity watchdogs groups.

It has been developed for organizations engaged in advocacy, civic engagement, policy work, and public interest law.

The information and call to action are intended for fundraising staff and executive directors.

WELCOME


INSPIRING SUPPORT FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

BLUE STRIKE


Today, we will cover:

Section 1: Who are the watchdogs?

Section 2: Why do they matter?

Section 3: Three steps to improve your ratings.

We will wrap up by 2:00 PM.

AGENDA



CHARITY WATCHDOGS Who are they?

SECTION 1:

The top four:

Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance

Charity Navigator

CharityWatch (a.k.a American Institute for Philanthropy)

Guidestar


WHO ARE THEY?

Guidestar has added new levels of transparency and seals. More changes are coming.

Charity Navigator has begun adding impact measures to its profiles.


CHANGE IS AFOOT

CHARITY WATCHDOGS Why are they important?


SECTION 2:

Donors, foundations, corporations, and the media consult these sites for objective information about your organization.


WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

About one-quarter of people do some kind of research before deciding to give.

Association of Fundraising Professionals Hope Consulting (2010)


DONORS LOOK UP YOUR PROFILE

http://www.afpnet.org/Audiences/ReportsResearchDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=8720

http://www.afpnet.org/Audiences/ReportsResearchDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=8720

A higher rating has been shown to translate into higher revenue.

Lower ratings may discourage people from giving to you.


DONORS MAKE GIVING DECISIONS BASED ON RATINGS


RESEARCH ON RATING IMPACT

Brown, Meer, Williams (2014) found “evidence that subjects' choice of charity is impacted by third-party evaluations.” Social Distance and Quality Ratings in Charity Choice

Grant (2010) estimates “that one more star increases contributions by 3 to 8%. The Response to Third-party Rating: The Eff ects on Charitable Giving.

Chhaochhari and Ghosh(2008) found that charities with the highest ratings received 16 percent more charitable donations than those with the lowest ratings.

You don’t have time to explain a bad rating to everyone.


THEY AFFECT YOUR BRAND


THEY IMPACT MORALE

Your staff and volunteers deserve recognition for the good work they do.

Your brand should reflect your commitment to your mission.

How to improve your ratings

SECTION 3:


#1: Pay attention to how you spend money and how you count the money you spend.

#2: Hire an auditor who understands the ins-and-outs of the charity watchdog game.

#3: Educate your board and staff about the importance of ratings and profiles.

CALL TO ACTION


Pay attention to how you spend money and how you count the money you spend.

ACTION #1: SPENDING


Take a hard look at your spending.


REVIEW SPENDING

Check out Blue Strike tips for reducing overhead.


REDUCE OVERHEAD

Make sure you’re not putting program expenses into administration and fundraising.

ALLOCATE CAREFULLY


Revenue

Contributions 65%

Foundations 15%

Planned Gifts 13%

Other 7%

Expenses

Program84%

Fundraising8%

Administration7%


GOOD LOOKING PIE CHARTS


UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS

Hire an auditor who understands the ins-and-outs of the charity watchdog game.

ACTION #2: AUDITOR


IRS FORM 990


WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER OF MONROE COUNTY



FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Year end

financials

Audit IRS 990

The audit’s functional expense statement informs your expense sheet on the 990.


IRS 990 PART IX PAGE 10

Leave time for back and forth with the auditor.


REVIEW DRAFT OF AUDIT

Educate your board and staff about the importance of ratings and profiles


ACTION #3: BOARD & STAFF

Put it on board agenda.

Explain the basics.

Show comparisons.

ACTION #3: BOARD & STAFF


Establish audit committee

Pass needed policiesPay attention to executive compensation

Review 990

BOARD GOVERNANCE AND OVERSIGHT



Click icon to add picture

Accountability and Transparency Measures

CHARITY NAVIGATOR


Accountability and Transparency Measures

CHARITY NAVIGATOR

BOARD SOURCE TEMPLATES


BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU FORM


Assign a staff person to update profiles and monitor changes to the ratings systems.

ASSIGN STAFF


Deal directly with the staff at the watchdogs. They are sensitive to criticism.

TAME THE WATCHDOGS


Make sure your materials accurately describe your accomplishments and activities.

MATERIALS MATCH YOUR WORK


#1: Pay attention to how you spend money and how you count the money you spend.

#2: Hire an auditor who understands the ins-and-outs of the charity watchdog game.

#3: Educate your board and staff about the importance of ratings and profiles.

YOUR CALL TO ACTION


Resources Research Articles

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES


Internal Revenue Servicehttp://www.irs.gov/instructions/i990/ar03.html

Venable Law https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTrOm1a4P2Ue00TA3hCl3xQ

Board Source https://www.boardsource.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?webcode=BDSOnlineStoreLanding


RESOURCES FOR IMPROVING YOUR RATING

http://www.irs.gov/instructions/i990/ar03.html



https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTrOm1a4P2Ue00TA3hCl3xQ



https://www.boardsource.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?webcode=BDSOnlineStoreLanding



Social Distance and Quality Ratings in Charity Choice, Alexander Brown May 2014http://econweb.tamu.edu/jmeer/Brown_Meer_Williams_Charity_Choice.pdf

The Response to Third-Party Ratings, Laura Ellyn Grant 2010http://www2.bren.ucsb.edu/~lgrant/grant_jmp_F2010.pdf


RESEARCH

http://econweb.tamu.edu/jmeer/Brown_Meer_Williams_Charity_Choice.pdf



http://www2.bren.ucsb.edu/~lgrant/grant_jmp_F2010.pdf

http://www2.bren.ucsb.edu/~lgrant/grant_jmp_F2010.pdf

Charity Rater Part I: Charting the Bad and the Badhttp://www.blueavocado.org/content/charity-raters-part-i-charting-bad-and-bad

Charity Rater Part II: Managing Your Ratings by Blue Avocadohttp://www.blueavocado.org/content/charity-raters-part-ii-managing-your-rating

Stanford Social Innovation Reviewhttp://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_ratings_game


MORE ABOUT THE WATCHDOGS

http://www.blueavocado.org/content/charity-raters-part-i-charting-bad-and-bad



http://www.blueavocado.org/content/charity-raters-part-ii-managing-your-rating




http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_ratings_game

http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_ratings_game

INSPIRING SUPPORT FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT


BLUE STRIKE

Five Simple Ways to Upgrade Your DonorsTuesday, July 29, 2014 at 01:15 PM

Benchmark Studies: Which ones are most relevant for advocacy groups?Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 01:15 PM

Year End Boot CampTuesday, September 30, 2014 at 01:15 PM


UPCOMING BLUE STRIKE WEBINARS

http://www.bluestrike.org/five_simple_ways_to_upgrade_your_donors

http://www.bluestrike.org/five_simple_ways_to_upgrade_your_donors

http://www.bluestrike.org/webinar_benchmark_studies_20140826

http://www.bluestrike.org/webinar_benchmark_studies_20140826

http://www.bluestrike.org/webinar_year_end_boot_camp

Raising Money for Advocacy: How it's differentTuesday, October 28, 2014 at 01:15 PM

Board Engagement for Year EndTuesday, November 25, 2014 at 01:15 PM

It's Almost New Year's Eve: Do you know where your donors are?Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 01:15 PM


MORE UPCOMING BLUE STRIKE WEBINARS

http://www.bluestrike.org/webinar_raising_money_for_advocacy_how_it_s_different

http://www.bluestrike.org/webinar_raising_money_for_advocacy_how_it_s_different

http://www.bluestrike.org/webinar_board_engagement_for_year_end

http://www.bluestrike.org/webinar_new_years_eve

http://www.bluestrike.org/webinar_new_years_eve

Thank you for participating

today!

From Mary Dillon Kerwin President of Blue Strike

Check out our other slide shows at http://www.bluestrike.org/resources


BLUESTRIKE.ORG

http://www.bluestrike.org/resources

http://www.bluestrike.org/resources

THANK YOU!


BLUESTRIKE.ORG

Blue strike webinar charity watchdogs managing your organization's profile and ranking - june 24,...

Government & Nonprofit

Transcript of Blue strike webinar charity watchdogs managing your organization's profile and ranking - june 24,...