Celebrating 30 years of helping you give wisely
America's most independent,
assertive charity watchdog

This Charity May Not Use Your Donation for 19 Years!

    Feb 3, 2023

A nonprofit soliciting you for donations often includes language in its fundraising materials describing the programs your donations will support if you choose to give. What some nonprofits may fail to tell you, however, is that your donation may not be used for 3, 9, 15, or even 19 years or more after you donate! This is decision-critical information for donors who want their donations to address current problems and to support the needs of animals, children, veterans, social justice issues, and other causes that they care about today.

 

Unlike for-profit businesses, charities do not exist for the purpose of accumulating assets and turning profits to enrich their shareholders. When judging and comparing a nonprofit’s financial stability, it is not the case that the one with the most assets is the one most worthy of your donations.

 

CharityWatch believes it is reasonable for a nonprofit to set aside less than three years’ worth its annual budget for financial stability and possible future needs. When a nonprofit’s available assets in reserve exceeds three years’ worth its annual cash budget, CharityWatch downgrades its final letter grade rating. However, for those donors who do not wish to factor a nonprofit’s high assets into their giving decisions, we continue to show what its financial efficiency rating was prior to being downgraded, as well as its Program % and Cost to Raise $100 fundraising efficiency, which are calculated independently of its years of available assets.  


The Years of Available Assets column in the Large Asset Reserves chart, below, reflects how many years a particular nonprofit could continue to operate at the cash spending levels reflected in its rating year without raising another penny of revenue. For example, Negative Population Growth, which tops the chart, could continue to operate at its 2021 annual cash spending level for 19 years without raising another penny of donations or other revenue; Miracle Flights for 16.1 years; and American Bible Society for 7.4 years. 


Giving is a fixed pie, remaining steady at about 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) since the mid-twentieth century. Because charitable dollars are limited and society’s needs are not, it is vital that nonprofits do not hoard the funds that they raise. There are often dozens of nonprofits conducting programs for a particular cause, such as cancer research, animal welfare and rescue, or assisting the blind. When a few nonprofits working in any particular cause stockpile donations for possible future use, this means these dollars are not available to be used by other nonprofits working in that same cause that could put these resources to use today. Of course, it is ultimately in the hands of each donor to decide if a charity’s years of available assets impacts their judgment about its need or worthiness to receive additional donations in the present. 


CharityWatch updates our charity ratings and other data continuously throughout the year. The below chart reflects CharityWatch’s data only through February 2nd, 2023. For our most up-to-date information please visit our list of High Asset Charities


Charity Fiscal Year Program % Cost to
Raise $100
Years of
Available Assets
Reported
Net Assets
Rating Reduced
Rating
Negative Population Growth 12/31/2021 71% $4 19.0 $21,883,631 A- F
Research to Prevent Blindness 12/31/2020 94% $2 18.0 $291,166,944 A+ F
Air Force Aid Society 12/31/2019 84% $14 17.3 $210,490,016 A F
Miracle Flights 04/30/2021 51% $48 16.1 $46,358,687 D F
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights 12/31/2019 61% $20 15.0 $50,211,020 B- F
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 12/31/2019 84% $29 11.7 $4,236,708,832 B+ F
Army Emergency Relief 12/31/2019 92% $7 10.3 $340,538,034 A+ F
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust 12/31/2021 94% $1 10.0 $52,521,695 A+ F
Carter Center 08/31/2021 81% $12 9.9 $1,240,836,256 A F
Special Operations Warrior Foundation 12/31/2019 85% $9 9.8 $99,320,477 A F
American Action Fund for Blind Children & Adults 12/31/2020 57% $47 9.6 $36,676,432 C- F
Shriners Hospitals for Children 12/31/2020 76% $19 9.4 $10,358,789,000 A- F
Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee 12/31/2021 83% $1 9.3 $80,296,032 A F
Seeing Eye 09/30/2019 81% $22 9.0 $294,435,000 A- F
Guide Dogs for the Blind 06/30/2019 79% $22 8.3 $409,957,000 B+ F
Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch & Affiliates 09/30/2020 67% $47 8.3 $479,206,457 C F
American Bible Society 06/30/2021 71% $37 7.4 $769,187,953 B- F
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice 12/31/2020 77% $14 7.3 $5,959,872 A- F
Southern Poverty Law Center 10/31/2021 68% $20 7.3 $769,727,566 B F
Navy SEAL Foundation 12/31/2020 89% $3 6.8 $113,459,001 A F
Hole in the Wall Gang Fund 11/30/2019 76% $19 6.7 $112,234,039 A- F
Omaha Home for Boys 12/31/2020 72% $39 6.6 $85,266,253 B- F
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation 06/30/2021 87% $12 6.6 $143,018,485 A F
YWCA USA (National Office) 06/30/2020 80% $9 6.3 $69,610,312 A F
Southern Environmental Law Center 03/31/2021 87% $5 6.1 $182,398,657 A F
Front Range Equine Rescue 12/31/2020 57% $24 6.0 $6,584,313 C+ F
Blinded Veterans Association 06/30/2021 38% $32 6.0 $12,398,951 D F
National Alliance to End Homelessness 12/31/2021 84% $3 5.9 $25,637,419 A F
Guide Dogs of America 06/30/2019 83% $7 5.9 $45,956,030 A F
Judicial Watch 12/31/2021 27% $34 5.5 $312,110,219 F F
Jewish National Fund 09/30/2021 84% $7 5.4 $475,968,397 A F
Braille Institute of America 06/30/2019 70% $41 5.1 $182,812,333 C+ F
Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund 06/30/2021 81% $1 4.9 $8,847,258 A C
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society 12/31/2020 82% $5 4.7 $123,155,057 A C
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America 12/31/2020 83% $6 4.7 $31,053,095 A C
Freedom Alliance 12/31/2019 71% $33 4.7 $38,937,429 B- D
Fresh Air Fund 09/30/2019 73% $30 4.5 $134,249,594 B C-
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation 06/30/2020 67% $21 4.2 $116,919,549 B- C-
Smile Train 06/30/2019 58% $36 3.9 $338,210,502 C D
Redwings Horse Sanctuary 05/31/2020 44% $13 3.9 $6,548,282 D D
Ploughshares Fund 06/30/2021 77% $19 3.8 $33,426,951 A- C+
Seva Foundation 06/30/2020 75% $17 3.8 $36,732,384 A- C+
Children’s Inn at NIH 06/30/2019 66% $33 3.8 $61,373,929 B- C-
Ms. Foundation for Women 06/30/2021 73% $6 3.7 $66,508,543 A- C+
Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) 12/31/2019 85% $3 3.7 $20,435,501 A C+
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 06/30/2021 66% $18 3.7 $8,973,553,000 B C
National Urban League (National Office) 12/31/2021 79% $7 3.6 $292,181,521 A- C+
Boys Town 12/31/2020 81% $45 3.6 $1,547,568,000 B- C
Brookings Institution 06/30/2020 76% $5 3.6 $435,964,000 A- C+
Foundation Fighting Blindness 06/30/2020 71% $23 3.6 $155,869,948 B C
Appalachian Mountain Club 12/31/2020 82% $18 3.6 $172,047,686 A- C+
Resources for the Future 09/30/2019 78% $32 3.6 $57,192,198 B C
Animal Welfare Institute 06/30/2021 90% $1 3.5 $19,531,426 A+ B-
National Police Defense Foundation 06/30/2019 50% $36 3.5 $2,578,292 C- D
National Anti-Vivisection Society 06/30/2020 66% $19 3.4 $8,144,897 B C
Pacific Legal Foundation 06/30/2020 76% $16 3.4 $60,258,878 A- C+
Native American Rights Fund 09/30/2019 65% $33 3.4 $44,426,252 B- C
American Printing House for the Blind 09/30/2019 80% $48 3.3 $139,809,564 B- C
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) 12/31/2021 48% $47 3.3 $498,646,842 D D
Solar Cookers International (SCI) 06/30/2022 79% $8 3.1 $1,994,147 A- B-
PKD Foundation 06/30/2021 72% $13 3.0 $22,549,669 B+ C+
National Trust for Historic Preservation 06/30/2020 79% $10 3.0 $325,370,041 A- B-









Related Charities