The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) is proud to operate a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt educational foundation (recently named the BBB Institute for Marketplace Ethics) whose charitable purpose is to educate consumers about prevalent scams and prevent financial fraud. Continually evolving to respond to the marketplace, the top two goals of the BBB Institute for Marketplace Ethics are to:

1. Provide increased educational resources for senior citizens; and
2. Implement new programming customized for military families.

To ensure the continued free availability and expansion of these important educational resources for consumers in our community, we are inviting individual, corporate and foundation donors to invest in our work. Please consider making a simple and secure tax deductible donation to the BBB Institute for Marketplace Ethics to protect at-risk consumers in our community.

This past year, we provided our "spot, stop and report fraud" message at 22 senior expos and fairs (with overall attendance at 18,000). We also gave 46 presentations to seniors and their caregivers at senior centers across the state of Minnesota. We continue to promote education through our Fraud Fighters initiative, in partnership with AARP-Minnesota.

After launching our new Military Line program on Armed Forces Day, we have actively promoted a set of 5 workshops that focus on financial readiness and scam prevention. Supported by a national network, we are also now offering the "Trick$ of the Trade, Outsmarting Investment Fraud" class. We are also proud to assist with reintegration efforts by warning military members and their families about employment and loan scams.

To ensure the continued FREE availability of these important educational resources - and help spread the message to the most at-risk consumers in our community - we invite you to invest in our work. We appreciate your donation.

The stated purpose of the BBB educational foundation is "to provide consumer and public education on business ethics, exposing sub-standard marketplace behavior, and warning consumers, especially seniors and youth about prevalent marketplace scams."