NCIB and the Better Business Bureau's Philanthropic Advisory Service form the twin pillars of consumer protection in the area of charitable giving.
Among the criteria that NCIB considers in preparing its reports are whether the board of directors is composed of volunteers, whether the board is large and diverse enough so that the charity's funds and agenda are not under the control of any private interests, whether at least 60% of funds raised are spent on charitable programs, and so on. A complete discussion of NCIB's standards is presented at their web site.
As you might expect, some charities do not meet NCIB's standards. What may surprise you is the number of well-known, respected groups that fail NCIB's review. Even more disturbing are the high-profile charities that do not even respond to NCIB's requests for information.
Failure to cooperate with NCIB raises the possibility that a tax exempt, publicly supported organization is in denial of its obligation to account to the public for its actions and expenditures, or worse: that the charity has something to hide.
The following is a list of charities currently not in compliance with NCIB standards for charitable giving. This list is not all inclusive - only high-profile groups with instant name recognition are listed. A ">" before a charity's name indicates that the group failed to respond to NCIB's request for information.
ASPCA - American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
> AMVETS
> Boys Town
> Center for Science in the Public Interest
> Chilhelp USA
> Children's Aid International
> Children's Wish Foundation
> CORE - Congress of Racial Equality Cousteau Society
Defenders of Wildlife (sells leather in its gift shop!)
> Father Flanagan's Boys Home
> Feed the Children
Fund for Animals
Greenpeace
> Humane Society of the U.S.
> Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change
> Mothers Against Drunk Driving
> NAACP Special Contributions Fund
> North Shore Animal League
Parlyzed Veterans of America
> Parkinson's Disease Foundation
Project Hope
> Public Citizen
> Salvation Army
> Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children
Starlight Children's Foundation
United Cerebral Palsy
> VFW - Veterans of Foreign Wars
> Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Although the BBB reports on fewer organizations than NCIB, its online reports explain why a non-compliant organization failed to pass muster. NCIB's web site does not provide specific reasons. The BBB web site sometimes includes an explanation from the charity regarding its non-compliance.
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