It can be difficult to determine which charities are worthwhile and reliable. Donors want to trust that their hard-earned money is going to be spent wisely and in a manner that benefits their chosen cause. By establishing a set of transparent guidelines for good practices and encouraging charities to willingly participate in enforcing them, Give.org - the website for the BBB Wise Giving Alliance (WGA) - provides donors with a sense of how organizations are administered and how their funds are utilized. Guesswork is taken out of the equation. The burdensome research process that can consume so much time and energy is taken over by the WGA and is summarized on Give.org. Donors can focus more on their philanthropic goals than on the risk that their donations may be mismanaged.

Charities who participate in the Give.org seal program vouch for its integrity. Mark Bergel is the founder and president of A Wider Circle, a charitable non-profit organization based in Maryland. After graduating and teaching at American University, Mr. Bergel established A Wider Circle with its ultimate mission of eradicating poverty one individual at a time. He states that "being part of BBB WGA has made us a much better organization - on many levels. The initial process allowed us to establish strong organizational and fiduciary practices, habits that we have maintained and that have come to help define A Wider Circle. I honestly believe that every organization should have to follow BBB WGA guidelines, and every Board should require this of their organization,” Bergel says. “The team at BBB WGA is extremely helpful, and one of the things I like most is that they are interested in building relationships above and beyond the seal."

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