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Reported on Monday, November 23, 2009 5:15 AM

• Evaluation Conclusions
• Purpose
• Programs
• Fund Raising Methods
• Financial Summary

• Alternate Charity Names
• Charity Contact and Profile
• Additional Locations and Phone Numbers
• BBB Standards for Charitable Accountability
• Ten Tips for Better Giving

Tax Status 501(c)(3)

The mission of Catholic Charities is to be a visible sign of Christ's love and concern for all people.

Programs of Catholic Charities Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi:

Children's Mental Health Services
-Crisis Response and Outreach offers crisis intervention services including 24 hr telephone and mobile crisis response with on-site intervention at the convenience of the family in crisis.
-Hope Haven Home-Based provides counseling and service coordination to families whose children have a mental health diagnosis.
-Hope Haven Residential provides residential services in a therapeutic crisis center. Services involve short-term respite wtih individual and group therapy.
-Day Treatment emphasizes training children in behavioral skills that will help them be successful in school.
-Therapeutic Foster Care offers intensive in-home services designed to help children with serious emotional disorders develop the skills needed to function in the home and community settings.
-The Trauma Recovery for Youth Project (TRY) strives to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for traumatized children, their families, and communities throughout the state.

Women and Violence
-Domestic Violence Centers in Jackson and Natchez provide safe refuge for victims of family violence. It provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, daycare, therapeutic day treatment and counseling. The Jackson Domestic Violence Center offers a Legal Assistance Clinic that provides support and legal representation to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
-Rape Crisis Centers in Jackson and Natchez assist victims of sexual assault with medical intervention and support at the hospital. Victims and their families can receive counseling and support through the legal system.

Teen Services
-Our House Homeless and Runaway Teen Shelter provides emergency shelter, counseling services and an array of comprehensive prevention/intervention services to runaway, homeless, neglected and abused youth ages 12-17.

Adoption/Maternity Care
-Adoption Services are provided for those seeking to open their homes and hearts to children. Our services include domestic and international home studies, pre and post placement services for adoptive families, services to birth parents, and counseling, which is available throughout the life of an adopted child.
-Maternity Care Services are provided to those women who are facing an unplanned pregnancy. We can assist with prenatal counseling, exploring parenting options, adoption planning, and referrals.
- Infant Foster Care Services are provided on a short term basis for infants pending adoptive placement or reunification with birth families.

Alcohol and Drug Services
-Born Free and New Beginnings are residential treatment programs for pregnant and/or parenting women needing assistance to recover from chemical addictions.
-Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention focuses on the dangers of using and abusing alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. In partnership with the Region IX Prevention Coalition, the program employs the strategy of a community based process.

Ministry Services
-Social Justice Advocacy brings to light the needs of the most vulnerable in our society and announces that we are, indeed, one another's keeper. Catholic Charities advocates for social justice and the sanctity of all life. We strive to spread Christ's message of justice for all while joining with like-minded advocates to promote society's responsibility to care for the poor and the powerless.
-Housing the poor and elderly: Catholic Charities sponsors low cost residential facilities for the elderly, the poor, and the chronically mentally ill in several areas of Mississippi.
-Parish Health Ministry assists individual parishes to establish their own health ministries through the efforts of parish nurses and other volunteers, and helps individuals find resources for medical or social needs that are not easily addressed.
-Family Ministry works with parishes to provide a variety of services that support and minister to families. The following programs are offered:
When Families Marry, REFOCCUS, Parenting Classes, Redeeming State, Rebuilding and Marriage and Family Counseling
-Immigration Clinic specializes in family and employment based immigration services, including permanent residence, citizenship, work authorizations, domestic violence cases, and visa renewal. They also provide community education, advocacy and outreach for immigrant communities.
-The Elder Justice Center conducts police training in such areas as victimization of senior citizens, interviewing elderly and impaired victims and crime prevention.
-Long Term Disaster Relief offers long term services to promote self sufficiency and empowerment to those who have been affected by hurricanes.

Refugee Services
-Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program is a long-term therapeutic foster care program for refugee children from war torn countries and individuals seeking political asylum.

Natchez Services
The Catholic Charities Natchez office offers an array of services including the Guardian Sexual Assault Center, Guardian Battered Families Shelter, Counseling, Emergency Assistance, Supportive Housing, Therapeutic Day Treatment, Housing Counseling, Long Term Recovery and the Guardian Thrift Store.

Northeast Mississippi Services
The Catholic Charities office in Vardaman, MS offers general social services that strive to reach out to underserved populations. It assists them with referrals, advocacy, general information, and translations. The Volunteer in Tax Assistance Program offers free assistance to low-income working poor with their tax returns, and literacy programs.

Catholic Charities Diocese of Jackson uses direct mail appeals, special events, grant proposals and planned giving to help fund the organization's operations.

According to the IRS Form 990 for the Fiscal Year ended 6/30/2007:

Catholic Charities Diocese of Jackson, MS
Catholic Charities of Jackson

(601) 960-8493 (FAX)

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ID: 204324584
Report as of: 11/23/2009

© 2009  The Better Business Bureau of Mississippi, Inc.

1. A board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff.
2. A board of directors with a minimum of five voting members.
3. A minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with face-to-face participation.
4. Not more than one or 10% (whichever is greater) directly or indirectly compensated person(s) serving as voting member(s) of the board. Compensated members shall not serve as the board's chair or treasurer.
5. No transaction(s) in which any board or staff members have material conflicting interests with the charity resulting from any relationship or business affiliation.
6. Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.
7. Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.
8. Spend at least 65% of its total expenses on program activities.
9. Spend no more than 35% of related contributions on fund raising. Related contributions include donations, legacies and other gifts received as a result of fund raising efforts.
10. Avoid accumulating funds that could be used for current program activities. To meet this standard, the charity's unrestricted net assets available for use should not be more than three times the size of the past year's expenses or three times the size of the current year's budget, whichever is higher.
11. Make available to all, on request, complete annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
12. Include in the financial statements a breakdown of expenses (e.g., salaries, travel, postage, etc.) that shows what portion of these expenses was allocated to program, fund raising, and administrative activities.
13. Accurately report the charity's expenses, including any joint cost allocations, in its financial statements.
14. Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration.
15. Have solicitations and informational materials, distributed by any means, that are accurate, truthful and not misleading, both in whole and in part.
16. 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, (d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (ii) expenses in the same program, fund raising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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), (c) any maximum or guaranteed minimum contribution amount (e.g., up to a maximum of $200,000).
20. Respond promptly to and act on complaints brought to its attention by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and/or local Better Business Bureaus about fund raising practices, privacy policy violations and/or other issues.

Most charities are honest and ethical, but questionable solicitors are counting on the fact that you won't bother to check out the charity before you give. Here is some basic wise giving advice:

1. Watch out for similar names.
   As there are many charities raising funds for similar causes, some charity names sound the same. Be sure to look at the name carefully, because the charity soliciting you may not be the one you have in mind.
2. Do not be pressured to make an immediate gift.
   Be wary of solicitors that demand an 'on the spot' donation. Charities should welcome your gift whenever you want to send it.
3. Question vague appeals.
   Appeals should clearly identify the charity's programs. Watch out for appeals that are strong on identifying a problem, but weak on describing what specifically the charity intends to do about it.
4. Do not give out personal information to phone solicitors.
   Don't give out credit card numbers, checking account numbers or any other personal information to unknown telephone solicitors.
5. Do not give cash.
   Write a check out to the charity's full official name, not to an individual or third party that may be collecting the donation.
6. Keep records of your donations (receipts, canceled checks and bank statements) so you can document your charitable giving at tax time. (Note: The IRS requires donations of $250 or more to be substantiated through a written receipt from the charity.)
7. If you want a deduction, make sure the organization is a charity.
   There are many different types of soliciting nonprofit organizations. Most appeals will indicate if the organization is eligible to receive gifts deductible as charitable contributions. (To be sure, review the list of organizations in IRS Publication 78 or ask the charity for a copy of its tax exempt status determination letter.)
8. Don't hesitate to ask the charity for written information on its programs and finances.
   This tip can be particularly helpful in responding to phone appeals from charities that interest you.
9. To verify if a charity is registered to solicit, contact your state government.
   In most cases, this will be the state's office of the attorney general. Remember that the state registration does not mean 'approval', it means the group has filed the appropriate forms.
10. Report bad practices.
    Contact your Better Business Bureau and your state's Attorney General office about solicitation problems.