Honor Betty White by Supporting Trustworthy Animal Charities
Milwaukee, Wis. – We were saddened to learn that Betty White, one of the most beloved celebrities, passed away just weeks before her 100th birthday. While she was most known for her television and movie roles, she also was a long-time supporter of various animal-related organizations. As a result, we believe that one way of honoring this legacy would be donating to animal organization(s). To help achieve this objective, we compiled a list of various nationally-soliciting animal organizations. While some of these aren’t necessarily the ones that Betty specifically supported, they have been evaluated by BBB Wise Giving Alliance and found to meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability (i.e., BBB Accredited Charities.) To help in making a donation choice, we also offer the following additional tips.
- Be aware of name confusion. As animal charities are one of the most popular categories of organizations, be mindful that some may have name similarities. Look at the name carefully since the one you are considering may not be the one you have in mind.
- Find out that they do. Don’t assume what an animal charity does based solely on the name alone. Their activities can vary quite considerably such as animal rescue, wildlife conservation efforts, providing shelters for adoption, training dogs to assist the blind and/or wounded veterans, animal advocacy, encouraging diets that don’t contain meat among other possibilities. Look for a clear description of the organization’s programs in its appeals and on its website.
- Watch out for excessive pressure. Don’t be pressured to make an on-the-spot donation to an animal charity. Charities should welcome your contribution whenever you send it.
- One-time vs. monthly donations. Some charities encourage recurring donations where the organization automatically charges a credit card a monthly contribution amount. It’s okay to support a charity this way if that is what you want, but also remember you can choose to make a one-time gift if you prefer.
- Visit Give.org. In addition to charity reports on BBB’s Give.org, check with your state government’s charity registration agency, usually a division of either the Attorney General’s office or Secretary of State’s office. Also, registration with a government agency does not signify a government endorsement or recommendation.
The following are various animal-related charities that meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability (i.e., BBB Accredited Charities.)
American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
America’s VetDogs – The Veterans K-9 Corps
Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
Golden Retrievers in Need Rescue Service
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind
Humane Society of the United States
International Animal Rescue, US
Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife, Research, Education and Conservation
National Anti-Vivisection Society
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 220 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Recent Press Releases by Wisconsin Better Business Bureau
Make use of CHARITY NAVIGATORS to determine worthiness of any non-profit organization, You will be surprised at how much some organizations spend on overhead and advertising– leaving too little for actual program benefit.