Standards for Charity Accountability

Standards for Charity Accountability were developed to assist donors in making sound giving decisions and to foster public confidence in charitable organizations.  The standards seek to encourage fair and honest solicitation practices, to promote ethical conduct by charitable organizations, and to advance support of philanthropy.  The main objective of these standards is to assist a charity’s representations to the public in making sure they are accurate, complete, and respectful.  This means solicitations and informational materials need to be truthful and not misleading in any way.  Additionally, contributions must always be used for purposes consistent with the donor’s intent.  Furthermore, a charitable organization should make sure to respect the privacy of individual donors at all times and, except where disclosure is required by law, should not sell or otherwise make available the names and contact information of its donors without providing them an opportunity at least once a year to opt out of the use of their names.  These standards are an important piece of the non-profit puzzle and should be adhered to throughout an organization’s entire existence.