How we vet

Trust that your donation will be used effectively

Here is a look into how we vet nonprofits to help ensure your donation will be used in line with the values that led you to give in the first place.

We evaluate orgs based on five performance effectiveness indicators

We focus on 501(c)3s and lean away from primarily political and religious orgs

We give more attention to the 66% of charities with less than $500k of expenses

It is a huge responsibility
to enable donation effectiveness

Building blocks

The Giving Circle has reviewed books, peer articles, academic papers, a massive amount of existing data, and more to develop our approach. A key resource is The Performance Imperative framework for social sector excellence

There is no silver bullet

The fact is, this work is tough and highly subjective. Nobody has figured out the best way to do it, otherwise it would be super easy for anybody to do

Humble in our approach

We feel good about what we’ve developed, and accept that we will not get it right 100% of the time. We will benefit from your help to constantly evaluate ourselves to measure, learn, and make improvements

Here's how you can help keep us at our best

Father figure playfully tossing child beside water

performance effectiveness indicators

We evaluate nonprofits across five key categories.
And this is just the start.

1. Leadership & Management

2. Strategies, Programs, & Results

3. Financial Stewardship & Sustainability

4. External Evaluation

5. Learning & Improvement

Two backpackers smiling walking on a road in the desert

Dive deeper

Check out a longer explanation of our vetting processes.
Fair warning: it gets wordy

Vetting Deep Dive

How we vet

Trust that your donation will be used effectively

We evaluate orgs based on five performance effectiveness indicators

We focus on 501(c)3s and lean away from primarily political and religious orgs

We give more attention to the 66% of charities with less than $500k of expenses

It is a huge responsibility
to enable donation effectiveness

Building blocks

There is no silver bullet

Humble in our approach

performance effectiveness indicators

We evaluate nonprofits across five key categories.
And this is just the start.

1. Leadership & Management

2. Strategies, Programs, & Results

3. Financial Stewardship & Sustainability

4. External Evaluation

5. Learning & Improvement

Dive deeper

Check out a longer explanation of our vetting processes.
Fair warning: it gets wordy

How it works

About

Login

How we vet

Trust that your donation will be used effectively

We evaluate orgs based on five performance effectiveness indicators

We focus on 501(c)3s and lean away from primarily political and religious orgs

We give more attention to the 66% of charities with less than $500k of expenses

It is a huge responsibility to enable donation effectiveness

Building blocks

There is no silver bullet

Humble in our approach

performance effectiveness indicators

We evaluate nonprofits across five key categories.And this is just the start.

1. Leadership & Management

2. Strategies, Programs, & Results

3. Financial Stewardship & Sustainability

4. External Evaluation

5. Learning & Improvement

Dive deeper

Check out a longer explanation of our vetting processes. Fair warning: it gets wordy

How it works

About

Login

It is a huge responsibility
to enable donation effectiveness

We evaluate nonprofits across five key categories.
And this is just the start.

Check out a longer explanation of our vetting processes.
Fair warning: it gets wordy