Evaluating
the Charity Evaluators: How CharityWatch, BBB's Wise Giving Alliance,
Charity Navigator, Givewell and Guidestar's Philanthropedia Help (and
Hurt) our Clients
Presenter: Susan Edwards Colson, New York Community Trust's Westchester Community Foundation
Thursday, April 24 | 3:30 pm
After
coaching donors to develop their personal mission statement, consider
working with other like-minded donors and solidify their level of
financial and volunteer support, their next question was inevitably
"what organizations are doing a good job now?" This question bring
donors into the often confusing world of charity rating services. Each
service has taken a different approach to rating nonprofits. In our
increasing data-driven world, a good, basic understanding of what the
various rating services are trying to accomplish is an important service
we can provide to our donors and clients.
Susan Edwards Colson
is dedicated to establishing charitable funds that support individuals
and groups making a difference. She collaborates with donors, staff,
board and community to set the strategic direction for each fund and
makes sure that each fund is accomplishing all it can. Her various roles
with Westchester Community Foundation include supporting each
constituency thoughtfully and carefully to further their respective
ideals and mission. This includes managing the day-to-day development,
marketing, and communications for the Foundation (a local division of
the $2.3B New York Community Trust). She is thoroughly familiar with the
planned giving techniques that allow donors do accomplish more than
they thought was possible.
She
is an attorney and Certified Public Accountant. She was the chief
development officer for Daeman College, Amherst, New York and Mercy
Hospital Foundation, Buffalo, New York. In those roles, she worked with
donors and coordinated volunteers and professional staff efforts while
overseeing a comprehensive network of fund raising activities. This
included arranging annual giving, capital giving and grant managements
as well as tribute and memorial gifts.
She
has taught business law, accounting and taxation at Ohio Northern
University, Ohio State University and Daeman College. She is a frequent
lecturer on charitable giving and the legal topics surrounding
fundraising and nonprofits. She developed a course on complex grant
writing at SUNY Purchase, and in Fall, 2013 presented a community class
on "Impact Philanthropy: How You Can Save the World."