Nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator launched in 2002 by asking the largest charities in the United States for their three most recent Form 990s — an informational tax form required of nonprofit organizations. Only about a third of the charities they asked handed them over.
Fast forward almost 15 years, and most charities willingly publish their 990s — which give the Internal Revenue Service an overview of activities, governance and detailed financial information — on their websites, Sandra Miniutti, Charity Navigator’s vice president of marketing, told Devex.
The 990 requires organizations to outline their previous year’s accomplishments to justify maintaining their tax-exempt status. Charity raters have historically honed in on financial transparency and what percentage of the budget goes to overhead expenses when they evaluate organizations.
About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers has worked as an Associate Editor and Southeast Asia Correspondent for Devex, with a particular focus on gender. Prior to that, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has reported from more than 20 countries.
