September 2, 2021
The United Nations designated September 5 as the annual International Day of Charity to urge people worldwide to help others through volunteer and philanthropic activities. The Lupus Research Alliance is happy to join groups around the world in acknowledging this important yearly observance.
We are very proud to be recognized by several independent charity watchdog organizations that monitor and encourage sound practices for nonprofits including BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, and the Combined Federal Campaign.
- For instance, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance (WGA) accredits the LRA for having met all 20 of its Standards for Charity Accountability. Meeting these criteria provides charities like the LRA with a roadmap to ethical and efficient operation and helps us achieve our primary goal – to help people efficiently and efficiently. The LRA even exceeds the financial requirement; the WGA mandates that every accredited group spend 65% of its expenses on program activities and the LRA spends 100% of every dollar donated from the public on research programs because our Board of Directors covers all administrative and fundraising costs.
- Lupus Research Alliance also has earned the highest 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. Awarded for its strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, the LRA has earned this distinction every year since we were founded in 2016.
- Candid, another independent organization that evaluates non-profits, gives their GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency to the LRA which requires a financial audit and demonstrated commitment to inclusivity.
- The Lupus Research Alliance is also among the many organizations deemed eligible to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the official workplace giving campaign for federal employees and retirees. CFC is the world’s largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, having raised more than $8.5 billion for charities and people in need since its inception 60 years ago. If you are or were a federal employee, click here to learn more about donating to the LRA through this program which starts September 1, 2021.
The LRA strongly supports the U.S. military, having effectively advocated for the creation of the Lupus Research Program in the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. We presented our case to initially fund the program based on the growing numbers of people affected by lupus among active service members and veterans. Every year since, LRA advocates have succeeded in gaining federal funding to maintain the program.
“We are very proud to meet the strict criteria of all these independent organizations,” noted LRA’s Chief Financial Officer Debra Rose. Earning these distinctions tells donors that the Lupus Research Alliance is a non-profit they can trust to invest in the highest quality science with the greatest potential to help people with lupus. And it tells our community that we are spending every dollar of every donation on their behalf.”
