A guide to investigating non-profits and charities.

1. Investigating Non-Profits
Comms 308

3. The Basic records
 Form 990s – Guidestar.org
 State registrations
 Government Contracts and audits
 Annual reports
 Five years of budgets
 Minutes of board meetings
 Check for lawsuits
Source: Norbeto Santana, Orange County
Register;Kathleen Carrol and Jean
Rimbach, The Record (Hackensack, N.J.)

5. Basic information
 Annual revenues and expenditures
 Top five highest paid employees
 Line items, (i.e. Scholarships to International
Olympic Committee members)
 Comparisons with other local charities
 Percent used or administrative costs
 Oversight from government entities.
 Audit controls

6. Stories and investigations
 Utah Olympic Bribery Investigations
 Investigation of Hale Center Theatre
 Investigation of salaries at Utah
Symphony

7. Other methods
 Do your homework
 Tour their headquarters and leave
cards
 Find a staff directory
 Do lunch with local board members
 Attend fundraisers

8. Triangulate sources
 Find out how the local organization
connects to a national group
 Compare websites of other like groups
 Ask for a list of board members over
the years (formers). This can be
valuable.
 Contact competing non-profits

9. Regulators and Watchdogs
 Look at private-public partnerships
such as transportation of elderly
 Look at government contracts
 Look at monitoring from state agencies
 Watchdogs like Guidestar and
American Institute of Philanthropy