Donors want more info before making their philanthropic decisions. (Newsline).

Most Americans set high standards of accountability and ethics for the charities they give to and a recent national survey shows a division between their expectations and not being able to gather vital information to make giving decisions.

The survey reveals that many Americans have difficulty obtaining the information necessary to evaluate charities and make giving decisions. Some 49 percent of the survey say it is easy to find the information they seek and 50 percent credited the charities for making germane information available.

The 39-question telephone survey of 2,003 adult Americans living in the continental United States was conducted during the spring by Princeton Survey Research Associates and was made possible by grants from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, and Sony Corporation of America. The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (the Alliance) also sponsored the survey, which has a +/- 2.3 percent margin for error.

Some of the questions in the survey include:

Have charities become more/less trustworthy or are they about the same compared to 10 years ago? ... 16 percent said more trustworthy; 36 percent said less trustworthy; and 45 percent said about the same; the rest said they didn't know.

Do you think it is easy or difficult to choose between charities that raise money for similar causes? A telling 72 percent said it is difficult; whereas only 21 percent said it's easy; 3 percent marked neither/somewhere in between; and another 3 percent checked don't know/refused.

How confident are you in your own ability to evaluate charities to determine whether they deserve your support? 51 percent said they are somewhat confident; 32 percent said they were very confident; 11 percent were not too confident; 5 percent noted they were not at all confident in their ability to evaluate charities; and 1 percent didn't know/refused.

According to Bennett M. Weiner, chief operating officer of the Arlington, Va.-based the Alliance, the survey was conducted in part as research to help the Alliance with its revision of charity standards and to quantify what public opinion is on many accountability areas.

The study clearly depicts charity finance as a top concern for donors in terms of information they're interested in obtaining. Donors also want more in-depth information from charities they might give to; including the clarity and specificity of a charity's appeals, the effectiveness of their programs, among others.

"I think one of the interesting findings that the studies show is that only 6 percent of Americans reported having made a contribution of $10 or more online in the year 2000," noted Weiner. "While there's certainly a larger percentage who said they would consider making a future contribution -- that was 22 percent -- the number of people that have actually given is actually still a small part of the population."

According to the survey, the Internet is having a much bigger impression on the public today as a gathering tool for information rather than as a means to give. While 56 percent of the surveys said they regularly go online for information about charities, only 6 percent of Americans report having ever made a charitable contribution of $10 or more via the Internet.

Another issue of donor concern revealed in the study is privacy, where 85 percent said it is not okay for a charity to raise money by sharing donors' names and addresses with others. And, 82 percent of adults added that charities should give an opt-out opportunity to their donors.

"Clearly there's a point of concern for the public and it's something that the charitable community should probably pay attention to given the quantified strong feeling there is for concern about this," stressed Weiner. "They still felt that they were concerned about the sharing of their name and address with others outside of the organization they contributed to."

And, seven out of 10 survey respondents (70 percent) said it is difficult to discern whether or not a charity is legitimately asking them to give.

"Remember we're not talking about a specific charity. We're talking about charities in general," said Weiner. "I think one thing that's true in philanthropy is its incredible diversity. There are so many organizations raising money for similar causes."

Other highlights in the Donor Expectations Survey include:

* First and foremost on the donors' list of desired information is to know how a charity spends the money -- 79 percent of respondents said it is very important to know the percentage of spending that goes toward charitable programs;

* The public wants charities to observe strict standards for use of donated funds. More than three-fourths (78 percent) of respondents think the percent of spending dedicated to programs should be set at 70 percent or higher and 56 percent define the acceptable level as 80 percent or higher;

* Some 63 percent of Americans expect that when they donate money to a charitable organization the bulk of their contribution will go toward current programs, rather than reserves.

Weiner said that one of the key findings in the survey for nonprofits is to take heed that they are the top source for information for donors.

"I think that certainly indicates to organizations that when people want to find out more, they go to the group," he said. "That being the case, it certainly demonstrates the importance of insuring that the organization is providing sufficient information so that informed decisions can be made."

The full text of the Donor Expectations Survey is posted on the BBB Wise Giving Alliance Web site: www.give.org. Individual copies are also available on request by writing to the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, 4200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 800, Arlington, Va. 22203.

Please tell me how likely you would be to go to a charity's web site for
each of the following kinds of information to help you decide whether to
give...

                                   Very Likely  Somewhat Likely
                                        %              %

Financial information about how        56             23
 they spend their money
A description of their charitable      53             29
 programs
A statement about whether your         40             29
 donation would be tax deductible
A list of the members of their         23             28
 governing Board of Directors

                                   Total Likely
                                        %

Financial information about how         79
 they spend their money
A description of their charitable       82
 programs
A statement about whether your          69
 donation would be tax deductible
A list of the members of their          51
 governing Board of Directors