Charity Ratings

The name “Better Business Bureau,” the initials “BBB,” and the BBB logo are registered trademarks owned by the International Association of Better Business Bureaus and licensed for use only in strictly prescribed ways by member Better Business Bureaus. We ask for your strict adherence to the following policy regarding use of the BBB WGA and BBB names: The BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) names may not be used in any manner in any fund raising or public information context. No user other than those explicitly permitted by the International Association of Better Business Bureaus is allowed without written permission.
 
Chapters or affiliates may be notified if the organization is in compliance or at variance with the voluntary Charity Standards. Please pay attention to copies of any of BBB WGA’s publications, and be informed about name use of BBB WGA and BBB names. 

Correct Use of the Seal

The BBB Accredited Charity Seal is a clear and concise way for CAP to demonstrate its full compliance with our standards.  It can be used on your solicitation materials, both online and hard copy, your website, annual reports, shared on social media and in and other materials you share with the public. When used online, it must be linked to Civil Air Patrol charity review & reports by Give.org
 

 

In a recent Donor Trust Survey, 38% of donors said they would be more likely to give to an organization displaying the BBB Charity Seal.
 

Since 2001, Charity Navigator has rated the effectiveness of thousands of nonprofits based on measures of finance, accountability, and transparency through the Star Rating System. While eligibility requirements for a star rating disqualify less established and smaller nonprofits, the Encompass Rating System provides smaller and more recently established nonprofits to be evaluated through the use of available data. The Encompass Rating System is based on a numerical score out of 100 and will live alongside the current Star Rating System. Star-rated charities are not affected by this new system.
 

In 2020, Civil Air Patrol passed the standard which allows for use of the "Confidence to Give" seal.

Correct Use of the Seal

When featuring your Charity Navigator seal on your website, you MUST link the image to your
Charity Navigator profile page. https://charitynavigator.org/756037853

Civil Air Patrol has received the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar, a service of Candid. By sharing metrics that highlight progress CAP is making toward its mission, the organization is helping donors move beyond simplistic ways of nonprofit evaluation such as overhead ratios. 

 By updating our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile to the Platinum level, CAP shows a wealth of up-to-date organizational metrics with our supporters as well as GuideStar's immense online audience, which includes donors, grantmakers, our peers, and the media.

 To reach the Platinum level, CAP added extensive information to its Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar: basic contact and organizational information; in-depth financial information; qualitative information about goals, strategies, and capabilities; and quantitative information about results and progress towards its mission.
 

CAP has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and to giving donors and funders meaningful data to evaluate nonprofit performance.
  

The vast majority of states require that before a charitable nonprofit may ask someone in their state for a contribution – whether by letter, phone, email, social media, and sometimes even grant applications – the nonprofit must register with the appropriate state official to let the state know that the nonprofit is soliciting contributions (also known as fundraising). The separate state “charitable solicitation registration” laws are not uniform, but inconsistent from state to state.
  

The following map defines States which require registration.
 

Civil Air Patrol NHQ assumed the lead for ensuring compliance for each CAP Wing in 2018, to ensure the registration process and standards were met on an annual basis. In some cases, CAP is exempt from registration based on the criteria. For those States requiring registration, you can find the registration requirement language here.