Use the above information as a guide on what questions to ask the food pantry representative. There should be one question for each standard.

FUND RAISING AND INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS Standard 15 Accurate Materials - Have solicitations and informational materials, distributed by any means that are accurate, truthful and not misleading, both in whole and in part. Appeals that omit a clear description of program(s) for which contributions are sought will not meet this standard. A charity should also be able to substantiate that the timing and nature of its expenditures are in accordance with what is stated, expressed, or implied in the charity's solicitations Standard 16 Annual Report Have an annual report available to all, on request, that includes: a) the organization's mission statement, b) a summary of the past year's program service accomplishments, c) a roster of the officers and members of the board of directors, and d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (i) expenses in the same program, fund raising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets Standard 17: Website Disclosures Include on any charity websites that solicit contributions, the same information that is recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990 Standard 18 Donor Privacy - Address privacy concerns of donors by: a) providing in written appeals, at least annually, a means (e.g., such as a check off box) for both new and continuing donors to inform the charity if they do not want their name and address shared outside the organization, and b) providing a clear, prominent and easily accessible privacy policy on any of its websites that tells visitors (i) what information, if any, is being collected about them by the charity and how this information will be used, (ii) how to contact the charity to review personal information collected and request corrections, (iii) how to inform the charity (e.g., a check off box) that the visitor does not wish his/her personal information to be shared outside the organization, and (iv) what security measures the charity has in place to protect personal information Standard 19: Cause Marketing Disclosures - Clearly disclose how the charity benefits from the sale of products or services (i.e., cause-related marketing) that state or imply that a charity will benefit from a consumer sale or transaction. Such promotions should disclose, at the point of solicitation: a) the actual or anticipated portion of the purchase price that will benefit the charity (e.g., 5 cents will be contributed to abc charity for every xyz company product sold), b) the duration of the campaign (e.g., the month of October), and c) any maximum or guaranteed minimum contribution amount (e.g., up to a maximum of $200,000) Standard 20 Complaints - Respond promptly to and act on complaints brought to its attention by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and/or BBBs about fund raising practices, privacy policy violations and/or other issues