Non-cash Donations Obscure How Efficiently A Charity Is Really Operating

Feb 8, 2022

A charity might spent 90% of your donation on fundraising and overhead costs, but by running large volumes of non-cash donations through its books, it can make itself appear to...

Good Riddance ‘F’ Rated Charities

Jul 16, 2020

(Updated July 2, 2024) CharityWatch analysts collectively spend more than 1,000 hours each year analyzing and reporting on the financial waste and questionable practices we uncover. We warn donors about inefficient...

CharityWatch Supports California’s Bill to Discourage Charities from Exaggerating Non-Cash Contributions

Jul 12, 2019

CharityWatch has a new ally in the battle against the inconsistent and potentially misleading nature of “gifts-in-kind” (GIK) reporting by charities. The State of California is legislating a bill aimed...

‘False Financial Reporting Scheme’ Leads to Shut Down of Cancer Charity

Mar 23, 2018

According to a Final Judgment and Permanent Injunction, dated March 8, 2018, in the matter of The People of the State of California v. The National Cancer Coalition, The National...

The GuideStar Exchange Program: Sometimes Gold, Silver and Bronze Mean Less Than You Think

May 1, 2014

If we see a gold insignia associated with a charity, that charity must be a highly worthy one to which to donate, right? Unfortunately, this may not always be true,...

The Connected World of Charitable Fundraising

Apr 1, 2012

You open your mailbox one morning and there inside is a letter from a charity asking for your support. You read it and are inspired to donate, writing out a...

Cancer Charities Need Dose of Organizational Chemotherapy

Mar 20, 2012

Over 40% of people born today will get cancer during their lifetime based on current rates of cancer incidence, according to the government's National Cancer Institute. Nearly everyone has had...

The Alice in Wonderland World of Charity Valuation

Aug 1, 2011

In the wonderful world of charitable gifts-in-kind (GIK) where lives are saved and suffering is lessened, nonprofit executives can fully utilize their creative abilities when measuring the value of the...