{
  "id": "BRD-057",
  "slug": "brd-057",
  "title": "A charity brand needs an arm's-length accreditation",
  "statement": "A brand running the charity use case must be accredited by at least one independent non-profit accreditation body.",
  "rationale": "The charity use case carries relief that ordinary marketing does not get, and tax-exempt status alone is a low bar — it says the IRS accepted a form, not that the organisation is what it says. An accreditation from a body that examines finances and governance is the evidence carriers actually want, and a charity that has never sought one finds this out at the point of registration rather than at the point of applying.",
  "layer": "BRAND",
  "layerSlug": "brand",
  "object": "accreditation listing URL",
  "severity": "BLOCKING",
  "detectability": [
    "EXTERNAL_DATA"
  ],
  "failureClass": "TERMINAL_EXTERNAL",
  "authorities": [
    "T-Mobile",
    "CTIA"
  ],
  "applicability": {
    "useCases": [
      "CHARITY"
    ]
  },
  "applicabilityText": "Applies when the use case is CHARITY.",
  "universal": false,
  "remediation": "Obtain a current BBB Wise Giving Alliance report or a current three- or four-star Charity Navigator rating, and keep the listing URL with the registration. Where neither is held, register the messaging under a use case that does not claim charitable standing until accreditation is in place.",
  "notes": "We cannot check an accreditation listing. The user has to hold one before registering: the BBB report takes weeks to obtain and Charity Navigator ratings are computed from filed returns, so neither is available on demand — this is a lead-time item, not a form field.",
  "phase": "approval",
  "automated": false,
  "attestation": {
    "question": "Do you hold a current BBB Wise Giving Alliance report, or a current three- or four-star Charity Navigator rating, with its listing URL to hand?",
    "howToCheck": [
      "Look the organisation up on both and note the listing URL for whichever it holds.",
      "Check the rating is current rather than historical — Charity Navigator ratings are computed from filed returns and lapse.",
      "Neither in place: this is a lead-time item. A BBB report takes weeks, so register under a use case that does not claim charitable standing until it lands."
    ],
    "failureLooksLike": "Tax-exempt status is treated as sufficient. It says the IRS accepted a form, not that an independent body examined the finances — which is the evidence carriers actually want."
  },
  "url": "https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/brand/brd-057/",
  "markdown": "https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/brand/brd-057.md",
  "registry": "https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/",
  "updated": "2026-07-25",
  "licence": "CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}