A message from CharityWatch CEO & Executive Director, Laurie Styron
October 1st, 2023 marked my 20th year as a member of the CharityWatch team. Since taking over the leadership position in March of 2020, I learned that many people who use our website and read our paper publication, The Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report, are not fully aware of the depth of our research, our ongoing work with investigative journalists, or the important ways in which our charity ratings differ from those of nonprofit trade associations like Charity Navigator or Candid (at guidestar.org). I have been working hard since that time to lift the curtain and provide more behind-the-scenes details about how our ratings are computed and how we contribute to the overall health and impact of the nonprofit sector as the only independent charity watchdog organization in the United States.
For instance, we recently expanded our chart of Nonprofit Compensation Packages of $1 Million or more to include up to three persons per organization. In addition, we have steadily increased the number of articles on our blog and maintained a bi-monthly email newsletter to keep you and other donors up to date on our most current work.
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of working with a national ESPN journalist to contribute my financial reporting expertise to her investigation into a sports-related charity. A few months later we co-paneled a session together at the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) conference entitled “Nonprofit Secrets Hidden in Plain Sight: Decoding Forms 990,” designed to help journalists interpret the financial reporting of charities when investigating fraud, financial mismanagement, and governance issues at nonprofit organizations. On this note, I am thrilled to announce that CharityWatch was recently accepted into IRE as an associate member in recognition of our important watchdog work.
In our upcoming issue of the Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report, we highlight the important role CharityWatch and investigative journalists play in protecting the public from unscrupulous charities by explaining why and in what ways government regulation of the nonprofit sector is lacking. For over 31 years CharityWatch has helped to fill this gap in regulation by regularly partnering with news outlets throughout the country, providing financial analysis and other expertise to journalists to aid them in their reporting.
CharityWatch relies on donations from the general public to maintain our independence and continue our work. As you use CharityWatch’s ratings and other information to make your giving decisions, we hope you will consider making a donation to CharityWatch. We are a small organization and your support is noticed, needed, and greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for your support.