FOVS is proud to report that we are now an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (BBBWGA). Achieving accreditation mean we meet the high standards set by the BBBWGA in the areas of ethical governance, organizational effectiveness, financial transparency, and accuracy in all communications with our stakeholders.

According to the BBBWGA, these standards were developed “to assist donors in making sound giving decisions and to foster public confidence in charitable organizations. The standards seek to encourage fair and honest solicitation practices, to promote ethical conduct by charitable organizations and to advance support of philanthropy.”

While FOVS already met many of the 20 standards required to achieve accreditation, we did undertake additional steps to fully comply, including:

Instituting the following policies:
- Conflict of Interest Policy (along with associated amendment to our by-laws)
- Donor Privacy Policy
- Effectiveness Policy
Restructuring our chart of accounts to provide better financial transparency with respect to program, fund raising, and administrative activities
Providing open access to our most recent Annual Report and IRS Form 990 on our website

It is extremely important to us at FOVS that all of our members and donors know that we are an organization committed to using the resources we have in the most responsible and professional ways possible. If you are interested in learning more about the BBBWGA and each of the 20 standards, you can visit their website HERE.