A Note from our Board Chair & Executive Director
Dear Council friends and supporters,
We’re excited to share our 2020 year in review with all of you. Guided by our 2018–2021 strategic plan, the Council team has been hard at work delivering on our vision and mission statement to transform philanthropy by building donor and nonprofit relationships for strong, vibrant and just communities.
Check out the full board chair & executive director letter
Population Served
Charities Review Council serves donors/funders, nonprofits, and the relationship between the two.
Program Services & Accomplishments
We deliver on our mission through three key programs: Donor-Nonprofit Relations, Donor Services, and Nonprofit Services. Below are our 2020 program accomplishments.
Donor-Nonprofit Relations
The Council’s work focuses on building strong, authentic relationships between donors and nonprofits. In 2020, we:
Used our social media platforms to share relevant information around philanthropy and the nonprofit sector- Saw some of our highest social media engagement numbers of the year during our November Give to the Max Day campaign when we championed our nonprofit partners and their accomplishments on Twitter
- Achieved a 5.29% click rate on our e-newsletter, almost double the non-profit industry average (2.79%) according to Mailchimp, and increased our e-newsletter open rate to 27%
Donor Services
We support donors in partnering with strong, trustworthy, and accountable nonprofits in ways that advance the greater good. In 2020, this work included:
Increasing our annual unique pageviews of our list of reviewed nonprofits by 52.89%- Responding to more than 1,000 donor support calls and emails, providing unique giving guidance to each potential donor who contacted us
- Sharing our biannual Smart Giver Newsletter, our print publication that includes giving advice, Council updates and our list of reviewed nonprofits, with 7,158 recipients
Nonprofit Services
We partner with nonprofits to build, recognize, and share their internal strength. This work came to life in 2020 as we:
Served more than 700 nonprofits via the Accountability Wizard® and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Toolkit - Provided over 2,400 hours of customized technical assistance for our nonprofit partners, including more than 250 hours of DEI Toolkit support for our subscribers
- Launched a biweekly DEI Toolkit User Group series, an online space for nonprofits working with the DEI Toolkit to ask questions, share insights, and connect with other users
In 2020, our Accountability Wizard® nonprofit review process helped:
- 75% of Meets Standards® nonprofits increase their knowledge around governance
- 53% of Meets Standards® nonprofits better and more effectively work toward their missions
- 91% of Meets Standards® nonprofits make their organizations more accountable and transparent
Financials
At Charities Review Council, we believe that public disclosure of financial information demonstrates a nonprofit’s commitment to transparency and accountability. Therefore, we’ve included our year-end financial statements and IRS Form 990 below.
Our People
- Meet our experienced Board of Directors
- Meet our staff, interns, consultants and contractors
