Some Facts About Our Data – Part 1

Charity Navigator has information on 5,500 of the largest charities in America that depend on support from donors. Here’s some information about our database of charities:

• In their most recent fiscal year, these charities generated approximately ­­$174 billion in total revenue.


• The median total revenue for the charities we rate is $4.9 million.


• Of this $174 billion in total revenue, some $94 billion came from contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government grants.


• These same organizations reported spending $192 billion.


• Roughly 86%, or $166 billion, of these expenses were reported as program expenses. Administration expenses accounted for 9%, or $18 billion, and fundraising expenses accounted for the final 4%, or $8 billion.


• The highest compensation received by a CEO of these charities was $2.4 million; however, the median CEO compensation was a much lower figure of $130,000.


• The charities we evaluated reported total net assets equaling $426 billion.

You can access our 5,500 ratings, for free, on our site. And using our sector analysis tool (also free for registered users) you can review aggregate data on the performance of charities by location and mission.