Charity Navigator

Reliable and extensive listings of charities - I find useful information on almost all orgs I search for. New website is easy to use.

Charity Navigator is an excellent resource for thoughtful and intentional giving!

Charity Navigator has been a vital part of our decision making process when choosing where we donate. We won't donate to an organization without first looking them up on Charity Navigator.

This is a company that is making the world a better place and their team is genuine and passionate. Keep on doing what you’re doing, Charity Navigator.

Charity Navigator is vital to both the non-profit sector and prospective donors to other organizations. Aside from its excellent work to keep non-profits honest, Charity Navigator shines with its donor education tools and programs. These are things that all non-profits should aspire to offer donors natively.

Before I found Charity Navigator I always had a hard time knowing what organizations to support but after it makes everything so simple, easy and best of all there are no fees to use it.

From small to large organizations it helps knowing where my money will best be put to use.

Thanks Charity Navigator! Keep up the good work.

I always use Charity Navigator for guidance when I donate.

I love Charity Navigator as a go to resource for recommendations when there is natural disaster or cause that I want to donate to. I know their recommendations are reliable and the money I donate goes directly to a cause and not just to their administrators.

I rely on Charity Navigator to help me make the best choice in where to donate.

What a great comfort it is to know that your donations are used for the purpose you have intended! Charity Navigator provides that comfort and provides it very conveniently!

Great letters that periodically come. And they look hand written too, adds a nice touch.

Great site that provides a wealth of info about charities. I use it to help me make choices to the best charities that work in food insecurity and health.

Charity navigator is a very thorough and effective service. It goes above and beyond in evaluating the effectiveness of charitable organizations. This is especially welcomed as giving becomes more and more frequent and automated. It is very difficult to discern between legitimate charitable giving and insincere organizations. I recommend Charity Navigator as a top notch service.

When making a decision on which organization to donate to, it is important to have a place to go to research organizations and know my donations will make an impact.

I am BEYOND frustrated with Charity Navigator. We are a tiny nonprofit that has worked so hard for the past 13 years and we have accomplished incredible achievements in the U.S. and globally and we have received global awards for our efforts and our impact. We have never sought out grants in the past because we never needed to. But since COVID-19 shut down operations for the industries that we serve in 2020 and 2021, we are now trying to recover financially and have decided to apply for grants. We just looked at our Charity Navigator rating for the first time and saw that we have a 1-star rating, even though we have never had any credit issues or credibility issues whatsoever. Somehow we have a low ranking for simply not going in and completing information on Charity Navigator's site - although we never even knew we needed to complete information at CN. To add to the frustration, their site has technical difficulties and we can't reach anyone to help us. This is happening at the same time that we are applying for grants. It seems unethical that CN or anyone can hold that type of influence over hardworking nonprofits and yet not be available, accountable or transparent themselves. Can anyone help us with this? Please. Please. Please?

If you think you can learn about a charity using Charity Navigator, think again. They do not update their site, but they do give “failing” ratings to charities until Charity Navigator finds the time to update their site. And this can take years. How is this justifiable? I find this reprehensible. There are other sites that will give you an accurate view of charities, but Charity Navigator is not one of them.

This is absolutely the worst of all the charity rating sites. I looked up a few of my favorite charities and they all had failing grades even though they are totally transparent and have stellar records. When I tried to delve further and find out why, I was told that Charity Navigator hasn’t updated their information yet. So they give failing grades that hurt charities just because they haven’t gotten around to update information? How about not rating until they can update their information? How about hiring more staff? Their “Encompass” rating system is faulty at best and must be looked at internally to correct the methods they use to rate charities. Until then, use a different site to find our about charities you are thinking of donating to. There are many reputable ones to choose from. This is not one of them.

Charity Navigator has many internal problems including a toxic workplace. Maybe that is why their site is so out of touch with non-profits. If Charity Navigator can’t operate in a professional manner, posting up-to-date information, they should close. This is the last place to go for accurate info about a charity.

Horrible! Horrible! Horrible! Charity Navigator is not the place you want to go to check out a charity. Their information is hopelessly out of date.
Even the 990s of charities listed are years old, which there is no reason for. The IRS posts 990s constantly. CN holds itself up as the place to go for an honest look at a charity you may be considering. But it is completely out of touch with current information which makes it a misleading source of information. Use Best Non Profits or Guidestar instead.

I completely lost faith in Charity Navigator due to omission of a 20-30 year publicly documented history of corruption, sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and financial irregularities for a nationally known charity organization. Submission of these reports to Charity Navigator and discussion with Charity Navigator staff resulted in no cogent explanation or correction of their misleading reviews.

My error before donating was failure to perform a simple Google search regarding the charity in question.

I canceled future donations and a bequest to both Charity Navigator and this specific corrupt charity.

For the purpose of bequests, a Donor Advisory Fund can be utilized to mirror the contributions to trusted organizations made in the year before death. This avoids the necessity and expense related to amendments in trusts or wills in the event that a previously trusted charity becomes corrupted or mismanaged.

Hello fellow philanthropists. First and foremost thank you for being someone who donates to charity, reaching out and giving a helping hand to others. Today I am director of a foundation but in my early days Charity Navigator was a great secondary source of information to better understand organizations. Charity Navigator continues to do great work. We are fortunate in the US to have an organization like this, most countries in the world do not. I endorse them 100%

If memory serves, I believe CN became a 501-c-3 in 2012. On March 24, 2013 their website stated that the reason they didn't rate themselves was because they only rate charities that have 5 years of data. On Sept 17, 2014 they changed it to 7 tears of data. It appears CN is avoiding rating themselves because the data would appear to net them a less than stellar rating. One wonders that when the 7 year date nears will they change it to 10 years of data needed?

I decided to make a donation to a charity for personal reasons and have been considering being a volunteer. When I talked to coworkers about this, one of them brought up the "grade" of the charity on Charity Navigator. I immediately went and looked at the grade. Not one to just take stuff on the internet at face value, I started looking into everything.

The site shows the star rating at the top of the page with "overall" as if that is the overall grade for the performance of the charity but when I check into what they are grading, it is only the information on forms the charity has made public. It has nothing to do with what the charity does or accomplishes. There could be a charity lumping tons of money into whatever it is they say they do with no history of doing anything but they get four stars while a charity that has a long history of doing good gets two stars. Or a four star charity may report differently than a two star charity meaning the two star charity may actually be more honest. There is absolutely no way for their formula measure this and there is nowhere on my charity's "grade page" that states the imperfections in the grading system. If they have it hidden somewhere else on the site, it is not good enough because they know most people are going straight to the charity they are looking up thinking they are going to get a clear picture of the charity.

The charity I donated to only has two stars but I know of many great accomplishments it has made. There is nothing about that on the Charity Navigator page. When the average person goes to the page they are going to see the two stars as if that is the definitive, overall grade of the charity when it is not. That is VERY deceiving. I would rather give to a charity that works and is less than perfect under this sites formula than a charity that lumps my money into nothing.

I find it strange that they talk about transparency but they aren't transparent on each charities page to tell people the rating is not based on everything and the grading system isn't perfect. That should be right at the top of each page to let people know they aren't being completely informed. If they are not going to put that at the top of each page, they should take down the word overall. I hope more people realize this because, like my coworker, they may pass up chances of donating to very worthy causes based on the misleading information on this site.

Charity Navigator is good for what I use it for ... namely a quick reference to get a general idea about an organization . Mission statement, pie chart showing how your donations are distributed (ie 89% programs, 6% administrative, etc), and the CEO salary. CN is where I begin, but if I am going to donate, I go over their financials with a fine tooth comb using other resources such as Guidestar.org. On section 7 of the form 990, you can see all significant salaries paid to employees. I disagree with CN star rating system. To me, if CEO's and board members are making enough to buy one Ferrari per year, then it does not meet MY requirements . You need to find out what's important to you, and research, research, research.

I find it strange that That this company says it was incorporated into 2000 yet your Filings with the IRS only started in 2009. the total amount of revenue since it started it says it's a little over 1.3 million and a and that your expenses are 1.1 million. I know that nonprofit companies do not take extra profit and by saying so, employees take their fair pay for hours worked, but the usual greedy corporate hierarchy in nonprofit companies donates the profit after expenses paid. Looking at your numbers, and assumeing the approximate $200 000 revenue was used to pay employee wages, is absolutely confusing and seemingly fraudlant. It shows that two hundred thousand dollars was all the extra revenue in a total of 13 years?!? I find that very hard believe. There something very strange about your numbers and what is really so. $200,000 in 13 years is barely enough to feed one person, nevermind a CEO and a huge list of employees. Either you are lying about the year 2000, the year Charity Navigator was supposedly incorporated, or you are lying about numbers...unless of course your CEO is driving a 1979 plastic tricycle with state of the fart cadmium laced lead pedals made in north korea. Considering its earliest IRS file was in 2009, something seems like BS. You have stolen somebodies idea and are trying to look legit. You must be sweating like a north korean on meth in a tricycle sweatshop in fear of when you will be audited. Time to call the person who has really worked on this for 11 years and tell him to lawyer up.

I find it disappointing and at the same time extremely surprising that you void charity gift cards only 6 months after purchase. Consumers get better protections today with gift cards, which is certainly one of the lowest standards I can think of. I purchased gift cards for my daughters in the hope of educating them on charitable giving and instead the lesson might have been better titled "caveat emptor". I would encourage your Board to adopt a greater vision for your gift cards; you can do better than Home Depot. Brian Murphy

I became a Charity Navigator site visitor, and ultimately, a registered user in December of 2010, before making annual contributions to several causes that are important to me. Prior to that, I'd never gone to great lengths to vet the charities to which I'd donated. Now, I had access to a world of information that enabled me to do just that -- quickly, easily and at no cost. As consumers, most of us do a fair amount of -- if not extensive -- research on everything from cars to hotels to medical professionals before making purchasing decisions. (And we often pay for memberships in organizations that compile ratings to help us make those decisions.) It makes sense to approach our charitable giving with the same level of diligence, especially given the current economic climate. My experience with Charity Navigator impressed me so much that I became a volunteer in March 2011. Since that time, I've seen first hand how much work and care goes into evaluating each rated charity and to continuously providing new information to help guide donors. Thanks, Charity Navigator!

I have utilized the Charity Navigator for 3 years now. I have in the past been very pleased with the capabilities of this site to help me make crucial donating decisions. However this year I am not able to get the comparison or the move function to work. This makes the site totally worthless for my purposes. I am disappointed especially after having told numerous friends about my delight with CN. I hope this issue is resolved soon.

This is a great site that aims to help eliminate some of the confusion that can surround attempting to find a reputable charity. It definitely fills a void, as I didn't see any other sites out there that are so professionally run, and detailed. The info listed here can be a bit overwhelming, but the site at least makes an attempt to mitigate that through tutorials and other help screens. One quick complaint though... when you go to make a donation through this site, they take you to a different site - Network for Good, where you need to use a different login. So you can setup all your charities here, but when you go to give, you will need to set them all up again on the Network for Good site.

Your reviews are no longer accurate. There is an electronic blockade of accepting reviews from charity donors and current reviews cannot be given. With many more charities depending on corporate funding to stay afloat, their priorities are shifting. Donors who know the truth are pulling back and supporting groups with more integrity. They want to warn and direct potential donors about the truth of some of the charities, but the reviews are not being posted. I know a number of people who have gotten frustrated and quit trying after 30 minutes, several attempts, failing to reach you, etc.

I am wondering how many of these charities have accurate financial information posted here because I noticed that Catholic Charities was rated four stars with no listed government contributions which I know for a fact is completely untrue. In addition to most of the food they give away being USDA or local food banks there are many program fees charged by them which is why courts have found that restricting adoptions on their part for any reason including sexual orientation is illegal. Wisconsin recently canceled their 32 million dollar per year contract with the Catholic church for this reason . You can find more accurate information of them in business week than on Charity Navigator and I find that pretty sorry.
http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/02_15/b3778004.htm?chan=mz

I have been a board member for several years and can tell you that Charity Navigator is making a serious difference. The staff is dedicated, hardworking, and passionate about the mission, and the web site helps steer donors away from bad non-profits. While the rating system continues to evolve, Charity Navigator has helped bring needed transparency and accountability to the non-profit world.

I recently met an individual who works in nonprofit management. When I mentioned that I was a former staff member of Charity Navigator, his immediate response was, "We are so impressed by the sheer number of evaluations you guys complete - you must have a hundred people on staff!" In reality, at the time I was working, we had 11 staff members. But with those 11 staffers, we were able to post hundreds of new reviews each month - keeping donors informed and ensuring they had access to current information about their favorite nonprofit(s). The evaluation system is highly efficient thanks to a consistent review process and custom technology, and I can say first-hand that the analysts are also incredibly precise and fair. Charity Navigator also serves as a go-to resource for individuals, donors, and the media with questions about giving, philanthropy trends, or individual organizations. By providing an unbiased, easy-to-understand perspective on the nonprofit world, Charity Navigator helps millions of generous individuals give wisely and with confidence. Simply put, Charity Navigator is a remarkable organization does a lot with a little. They inform and educate millions of donors and promote transparency and accountability to make sure other great nonprofits are given the resources and support they deserve.

I was pulled into Charity Navigator by its founders, Pat and Marion Dugan--an extraordinarily generous and visionary couple. I quickly became engrossed in its mission and have used my experience running a non-profit to help make it into an institution that will deepen its ability to serve donors. It's simply a terrific organization with brilliant staff and a devoted Board.

I've been involved with Charity Navigator since its inception, first as its PR counsel and, most recently, as a board member. CN more than fills the void in the non-profit world for an objective voice in determining what charities are most responsible with their donors' money -- it's grown into a conscience for the industy and its mere presence helps other 501(c)3's toe the line.

I first approached Charity Navigator during the early stages of www.grabthetorch.org my goal was to present my business plan, financial parameters, overall strategy and to ask every possible question about best practices in the new world of non-profit management and transparency. I wanted to set a clear course for GTT. The objective to establish high standards and goals that follow the CN rating system. It seemed better to listen to the experts and be pro-active from inception, rather than receive a rating that would affect our reputation and limit our fund-raising capacity. Ken Berger invited me to his office and provided unlimited time and guidance. Our meeting was comfortable and informative. It also gave me an opportunity to establish a dialogue with Mr. Berger to get involved with GTT and share his wisdom with our campers and the upcoming generation of non-profit leadership and civic involvement. CN’s presentations at our summer camps has elevated our curriculum and programs. Several of our speakers and panelists were exposed to CN during our summer camps and now use CN as preferred rating system in their operations. We now use CN was a reference tool for our campers to evaluate non-profits. We believe that CN plays an incredibly important role in guiding donors and other funding resources during this new wave of fiscal transparency. We also believe that every non-profit should be reviewed on a case by case basis and that it’s the responsibility of all potential donors to conduct several layers of research.

At a time of a depressed economy, scarce resources and a steady stream of stories about abuses in spending at nonprofits (particularly politically connected ones) the need for a source like Charity Navigator is greater than ever. CN is the ONLY place where donors can get completely unbiased analysis and ratings of nonprofits and of their spending. And with the announced expansion of their system to include Accountability and Performance, CN is poised to be the best in the business. I strongly endorse Charity Navigator.

Charity Navigator provides high quality, timely, comprehensive and well designed information that has helped me do high level comparative analyses of different non-profits. This is necessary for me to deliver significant recommendations that affect my client's strategic and tactical decisions.

I was in the office about three days a week and although it's not huge they get a lot of work done. I observed that whenever the phone would ring someone immediately picked it up and would help the caller with their question(be it another charity wondering about their rating or the general public.) I think they are doing important work to help the users to decide where to donate so that the money is used properly.

Charity Navigator was a really friendly work environment. It was a small office with a great sense of community. The only potential negative was that, being so small, I didn't perceive a lot of room for advancement for a career-minded person, but I absolutely enjoyed working there. Regarding the rating system, it's about as fair a system as I can possibly conceive of. The processes in place for the staff would make it impossible to sway a rating, not that any of them would if they could. You can find examples of all types of charities, small or large, volunteer or corporate-style, religious and secular, that get high ratings because they're working well with the resources that they have. It's true that the ratings only address the financial picture. Charity Navigator openly acknowledges the inherent limitations of its ratings and freely encourages donors to use this information as a part of the decision to give. I think they do a fantastic job.

Another ideological left group masquerading as a charity monitor. It's evaluations are designed to favor those receiving government grants and other large gifts... principally those of the ideological left. No self-respecting conservative group would accept government funds. The group's leadership tells us something of its motives. Trent Stamp, its first president, served as congressional staff for a liberal member of Congress. Now he works for the Eisner Foundation, Michael Eisner's foundation. The former Disney CEO is about as left-wing as they come.

One of the worst charity evaluators that exists anywhere, bar none. It's methodology favors organizations receiving large, government and corporate grants to the detriment of independent non-profits receiving small gifts from a large number of donors and beholden to no one. An organization spending, say, 73% of its budget on programs can receive a much lower score than one spending 67% because its methodology penalizes organizations for spending on fundraising, but not administrative expenses. Donors are interested not in whether money is spent on fundraising vs. administration, but how much goes toward programs. The methodology also does not take into account salaries. An organization relying on volunteers and spending less than 10% of it revenue on payroll can receive 0 stars for efficiency, but one spending 60% on payroll can receive high rating. The rating is also highly discriminatory. The rating table allows higher fundraising and administrative costs for some groups, but not others. Groups involved in broadcast media, such as public TV, for example, are permitted higher fundraising costs because of the expense of fundraising on the air. Those receiving the vast majority of their funding from direct mail, arguably an even more expensive means of fundraising, are given no such dispensation.