A Note from our Board Chair & Executive Director
Dear Council friends and supporters,
We’re excited to share our 2019 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
At Charities Review Council, we serve donors/funders, nonprofits, and the relationship between the two. In 2019, we served:
- 700+ nonprofits, providing more than 2,400 hours of customized technical assistance along the way;
- 7,158 donors and funders via our biannual Smart Giver Newsletter;
- Individual donors, responding to more than 1,000 donor support calls and emails;
- The public, providing online resources on our website and through our social media platforms.
Program Services & Accomplishments
We deliver on our mission through our three key programs: Donor-Nonprofit Relations, Donor Services, and Nonprofit Services. Check out our 2019 program accomplishments below.
Donor–Nonprofit Relations
At Charities Review Council, we work with donors and nonprofits to develop strong, authentic, and meaningful donor-nonprofit relationships. In 2019, we:
- Continued to use social media as a platform to connect donors, funders, and nonprofits, with increased engagement rates on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
- Hosted FORUM 2019: Breaking Patterns, a cross-sector event for Minnesota’s most engaged civic-minded leaders, with 83% of survey respondents indicating that they were “Very Likely” to attend a future Charities Review Council event. 17% indicated they were “Somewhat Likely.”
- Hosted our first New Year’s Happy Hour, bringing together donors, funders, and nonprofits for a fun and informal relationship-building opportunity.
Donor Services
At Charities Review Council, we support donors in partnering with strong, trustworthy, and accountable nonprofits in ways that advance the greater good. In 2019, we:
- Sent our Smart Giver Newsletter, which includes our list of Meets Standards® nonprofits, to over 7,158 constituents.
- Responded to more than 1,000 donor support calls and emails, each having the potential to turn into a charitable donation.
- Served over 40,000 constituents through our website, blog, and social media channels.
Nonprofit Services
At Charities Review Council, we partner with nonprofit organizations, helping them to build and communicate their internal strength. In 2019, we:
- Served more than 700 nonprofits through the Accountability Wizard® and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Toolkit, with 80% of nonprofits in the Accountability Wizard® that Met Standards® indicating that the review process helped position their organization to “better/more effectively work toward its mission” (up from 79% in 2018).
- Increased our investment in greater Minnesota nonprofits, presenting at the Overcoming Racism Conference in Bemidji, the MCN Greater MN Conference in Duluth, and the Southwest MN Arts Council Conference in Marshall.
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.
