Your Guide to Spring 2026 Methodology
Evolving Our Framework for Greater Accuracy and Transparency
In the Spring of 2026, Charity Navigator is looking to help nonprofits address some of their own pressing concerns:
- Attracting more donors and donations
- Demonstrating credibility and cost-effectiveness
- Standing out in a crowded charitable marketplace
Our latest enhancements to our rating system will help increase visibility and credibility in 2026. By taking a few steps to enhance their profiles, nonprofits can position themselves more prominently for our top-matches tool.
Nonprofits who do not complete their profile, will continue to receive ratings based on metrics found in their 990 data.
By participating with Charity Navigator Rating System, your organization can:
What's Changing?
Our new 2026 ratings use deeper data points to give you a high-definition view of nonprofit impact and organizational efficiency. Nonprofit evaluation is evolving, and we are in lock step with the evolution. We have updated our methodology to prioritize verified impact and operational health in addition to financial measures, to tell your full story.
About the new ratings system:
New Insights & Metrics
To give a more accurate picture of nonprofit health, we are introducing three new self-submitted metrics.
The New Impact Reporting Assessment
We are partnering with True Impact to introduce a new Impact Assessment. This allows you to report outcomes in a standardized way, giving donors a clear, flexible view of your results — regardless of your specific mission size or type. Learn more about this and our True Impact partnership today.
Workplace Policies
Clear policies on hiring, performance management, compensation, and workplace conduct create a safe and supportive environment where staff can thrive. When employees are well-supported, nonprofits are better equipped to achieve their missions.
Board-Approved Budget
We are introducing a self-report metric assessing whether the board of directors has reviewed and authorized the charity’s budget. This provides a critical layer of oversight of how your donations are used.
The New Evaluation Framework
We have restructured our “Beacons” to act as thematic categories, while scoring is now calculated at the individual Metric Level for greater accuracy. Here’s some key features of the new framework:
Full 990 Requirement: To ensure data consistency, only organizations with over $1M in revenue (filing a full Form 990) are eligible for an overall score and the Impact assessment.
We have moved away from “participation points” to ensure our ratings truly reflect performance. Metrics for Constituent Feedback and Leadership are now scored based on outcomes rather than just completion.
Once information is self-submitted via our nonprofit portal, a 6-month editing hold is applied. This ensures scores remain stable and gives organizations time to implement meaningful changes before reassessment.
Complete Profile Banner
We have updated our ratings profile pages for nonprofit organizations. We are including a new “complete profile” banner for 990 eligible organizations who have submitted all assessments, except for the new Impact Reporting tool. We are provided organizations with a year to complete the Impact Reporting tool. The new “complete profile” banner signals to donors a high level of transparency.
Please note, a 4-star rating remains the ultimate mark of excellence, now backed by even more rigorous
data to signal a best-in-class organization.
A Streamlined Portal Experience
We have listened to nonprofits around their experience reporting data are introducing ways to reduce the data
submission burden. The portal will have improvements that allow representatives to submit data in a step-by-step guidance system that makes submitting data easier. Information submitted in the portal will not perfectly match information displayed. Some metrics from assessments will be used in other beacons.