Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum News Release - Museum Awarded BBB Charity Seal

AUBURN June 7, 2006; The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum today announced that it received
the Better Business Bureau's (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance Seal for Charities.
Designed to provide charities with a widely recognized and meaningful means
to demonstrate their commitment to accountability and ethical practices, the
seal program distinguishes those organizations that meet the comprehensive
standards established by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.  Only national
charities that meet the new standards are eligible to apply for the seal.
In determining which organizations can display the seal, the BBB Wise Giving
Alliance evaluates each charity's governance, fund raising practices,
solicitations and informational materials, as well as how it spends its
money.  The Alliance's standards of measurement hold charitable
organizations to higher principles than those required by law, thereby
making the seal convey a strong and comprehensive confirmation of each
organization's accountability.

Laura Brinkman, the museum's executive director, is pleased that the museum
qualified for the Better Business Bureau charity seal for its commitment to
ethical practices in funding and financial development, "The Auburn Cord
Duesenberg Museum is proud to have earned the Seal of the Better Business
Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.  In addition to earned income, outright
donations to the museum's programming efforts are necessary to keep the
museum up and running each and every year.  We work to achieve the strictest
standards of accountability to our donors and this Seal represents
excellence in this area." One of the many criteria needed to receive Better
Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance Seal is that the charity must spend
at least 65% of its total expenses on program activities.  In 2005, the
museum spent 79% of its total expenses on program activities meeting the
criteria by more than 14%.

Mike Coil, president of the Better Business Bureau of NE Indiana, realizes
just how important accountability can be for not-for-profit organizations
when they are dealing with donations and other charitable contributions,
"Accountability in the not-for-profit community has been and continues to be
a hot issue.  Not-for-profits need to be accountable to their donors,
grantees, IRS, and the public at large.  Accountability would cover issues
such as performance, responsiveness, achieving equity and governance.  The
Standards for Charitable Accountability 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.  Meeting BBB Wise Giving Alliance Standards
for Charity Accountability demonstrates to donors that accountability is
important to the charity."

 

Many, if not most Americans, have trouble finding the information they need
to evaluate charities and make informed decisions about giving.  A survey of
2,000 Americans commissioned by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance in the spring
of 2001 found that 70% of adults found it difficult to decide whether a
particular charity soliciting their contribution is legitimate. 

Permissible uses of the seal will include the Association's direct mail
appeals, annual report, posters, newspaper and magazine advertisements,
billboards, Web sites and television public service announcements. The Web
site seal will feature a "click to check" function that provides a direct
hyperlink to the BBB Wise Giving Alliance report on the organization.

 

The not-for-profit Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum is located in the restored
1930 art deco administrative building of the former Auburn Automobile
Company. The museum displays 120 classic, antique, vintage and special
interest cars in eight galleries. The museum, accredited by the American
Association of Museums since 1997, is a National Historic Landmark.  The
museum is open to visitors daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

www.acdmuseum.org