When you decide to give, you need to know that your funds are going to help solve problems, situations, and provide the improvements that you intended.

We believe that the School has an obligation to its supporters to be accountable, and as such, we support the concept of a Charter of Rights for donors to charity.

You have the right to:

• Be informed of the recipient organization's mission, how it intends to use the donated resources, and its ability to use them effectively.

• Know the names of those serving on the governing board and expect the board to be responsible for stewarding donations.

• Have access to the organizations most recent financial statements.

• Be assured that gifts are used for the purposes for which they are given.

• Be assured that information will be handled with respect and confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

• Receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.

• Expect complete professionalism by fundraisers.

• Be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers or hired employees of the organization.

• Have the opportunity for your name to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

• Feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful, and forthright answers.

This charter was developed by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives.

It is endorsed by many major fund-raising groups which are determined to maintain public confidence in not-for-profit organizations world-wide and the causes they are asked to support.

Additional Links

The National Fraud Information Center

Information on a variety of scams. You can find sections on telemarketing and Internet fraud, plus information on scams that target senior citizens.

You can also find out about proposed legislation dealing with fraud.

National Charities Information Bureau

NCIB's mission is to promote informed giving and to enable more contributors to make sound giving decisions.

NCIB believes that donors are entitled to accurate information about the charitable organizations that seek their support. NCIB also believes that well-informed givers will ask questions and make judgments that will lead to an improved level of performance by charitable organizations.

American Institute of Philanthropy

The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) is a  nationally prominent charity watchdog service whose purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions.