Mission: The Advocates for Human Rights (formerly Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights) is an organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of internationally recogn ... (More)
The Advocates for Human Rights is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1984, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Contact Information
http://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/
330 South Second Avenue
Suite 800
Minneapolis MN 55401
Important note on the timeliness of ratings
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Financial and Accountability & Transparency score for The Advocates for Human Rights is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
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Star Rating System by Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator evaluates a nonprofit organization’s financial health including measures of stability, efficiency and sustainability. We also track accountability and transparency policies to ensure the good governance and integrity of the organization.
Exceptional
This charity's score is 96.46, earning it a 4-Star rating. Donors can "Give with Confidence" to this charity.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 95.00 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 100.00 View details
This score represents Form 990 data from 2019. More recent filing data is available, but it has not been factored into this score, due to COVID-19's effect on this organization.
View this organization’s historical ratings.
Rating update postponed due to COVID-19's impact on this organization. View The Advocates for Human Rights's response.
Star Rated Report
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Program Expense Ratio
87.1%
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s).
This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Administrative Expenses
7.2%
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Expenses
5.6%
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
9.1%
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency
$0.05
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Working Capital Ratio
0.70 years
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Growth
8.55%
We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
Governance
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
| Governance: | |
|---|---|
| Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) | |
| No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
| |
| Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
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| Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) | |
| Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) | |
| Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) | |
| Compensates Board ... (More) |
Policies
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Policies: | |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest ... (More) | |
| Whistleblower ... (More) | |
| Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) | |
| CEO Compensation Process ... (More) | |
| Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) |
Transparency
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Transparency: | |
|---|---|
| CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) | |
| Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Audited Financial Statements on Website ... (More) | |
| Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) |
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Robin Phillips, Executive Director
$93,411 (4.83% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Business Master File Data
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Other civil rights activities (BMF activity code: 449)
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Pandemic Response
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
The Advocates for Human Rights reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Event revenue decreased substantially when we pivoted to virtual events. Not being able to meet with major donors in person slowed down our campaign fundraising. Furthermore, the average donation of new donors was significantly lower in FY21 than in FY20. At the same time, travel expenses where lower because all international work was done virtually. We applied to and received PPP loans and thus were able to employ a full staff.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
To ensure uninterrupted legal services to clients who continued to face asylum filing deadlines, court hearing dates, appeals deadlines, and continued detention, we maintained operations with limited on-site staff. We adapted case intake procedures and focused on four primary areas: a) access to work, b) access to basic needs, c) information on rights and access to legal support, and d) advocacy for immigrants being detained by ICE. When jails cut off our access to in-person “know your rights” meetings, we shifted to texting, technology platforms and emailing detained people. Our court monitoring efforts have shifted to accommodate new court practices, including remote hearings. Volunteer training shifted online.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Like everyone, The Advocates for Human Rights had to adapt under COVID-19 lockdown. Most challenging, the murder of George Floyd prompted a 360-degree organizational review to ensure anti-racist approaches and strategy. This work has begun and will be ongoing and enduring. We changed our operations completely and together with our clients and volunteers learned many new technology skills. We had been able to invest in our infrastructure before the pandemic struck and were ready to tackle the challenges. We learned that investment in infrastructure pays off. Intentionally building centralized volunteer management staff has exponentially grown our capacity to engage volunteers. Planned conversions to new technology platforms, including new client case management and constituent relationships management systems and to Microsoft 365, allowed us to move to remote work without disruption.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We are considering keeping more virtual training, legal representation, and, if available, court observation options available post-pandemic. We are now offering in-person internships to local students as well as remote internships to students from across the globe. This has allowed us to grow our internship program by 15% over the last 18 months. We are involving more global and national partners in our virtual fundraising events and are welcoming global audiences. The future of events will be hybrid.
Historical Ratings
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 6/1/2020 | 2019 | 96.46 | |
| 7/1/2019 | 2018 | 86.71 |  |
| 7/1/2018 | 2017 | 90.07 | |
| 8/1/2017 | 2016 | 87.62 | |
| 6/1/2016 | 2015 | 89.72 | |
| Rating Version: 2.0 | |||
| 3/1/2016 | 2015 | 87.61 | |
| 12/1/2015 | 2014 | 86.56 | |
| 9/1/2015 | 2014 | 86.27 | |
This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. | |||
| 8/1/2014 | 2013 | 96.14 | |
| 7/1/2014 | 2013 | 89.07 | |
| 6/1/2013 | 2012 | 78.63 |  |
| 5/1/2012 | 2011 | 83.57 | |
| 9/20/2011 | 2010 | 78.56 | |
| Rating Version: 1.0 | |||
| 7/1/2011 | 2010 | 71.75 | |
| 8/1/2010 | 2009 | 92.17 | |
| 8/1/2009 | 2008 | 92.32 | |
| 8/1/2008 | 2007 | 94.38 | |
| 4/1/2007 | 2006 | 88.97 | |
| 4/1/2006 | 2005 | 91.02 | |
| 7/1/2005 | 2004 | 75.89 | |
| 10/1/2004 | 2003 | 61.32 |  |
| 9/1/2003 | 2002 | 66.67 | |
| 2/5/2003 | 2001 | 79.81 | |
Previous: Finance & Accountability / Next: Leadership & Adaptability
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
The Advocates for Human Rights cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Do you work at The Advocates for Human Rights? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
The Advocates for Human Rights reported its three largest programs on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
$505,451
Spent in most recent FY
30%
Percent of program expenses
Refugee and Immigrant Rights Advocacy
$388,592
Spent in most recent FY
23%
Percent of program expenses
Human Rights Research, Education, and Advocacy
$318,146
Spent in most recent FY
19%
Percent of program expenses
Advocacy for Women's Human Rights
Previous: Impact & Results / Next: Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
This score provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by The Advocates for Human Rights is a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of the organization's Leadership & Adaptability through the nonprofit organization submitting a survey response directly to Charity Navigator.
Leadership & Adaptability Report
100
of 100 points
Mission
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s mission
The mission of The Advocates for Human Rights is to implement international human rights standards to promote civil society and reinforce the rule of law. The Advocates accomplishes this mission by involving volunteers in research, education and advocacy and building broad-based constituencies in the United States and selected global communities.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
The Advocates for Human Rights envisions a world in which every person lives with dignity, freedom, justice, equality, and peace; and it believes that every person has a part to play in building respect for human rights and expanding the human rights movement in the United States and around the world.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Strategic Goals
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Ensure that governments are held accountable for human rights abuses in their countries by training NGOs to monitor and report abuses, increasing advocacy at the UN, and monitoring progress.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Ensure that every person in the US with an asylum claim has access to legal help by providing services in the Upper Midwest and building a network of lawyers who can help in regions with no services.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: End violence against women and girls worldwide by documenting, monitoring, and exposing such violence, passing new laws, identifying barriers to implementation, and training NGOs to implement laws.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
The Advocates staff attend relevant conferences and trainings in their fields of expertise to develop their knowledge and build their networks. Individual staff members have been matched up with coaches to develop leadership skills on an individual basis as needed. In addition, the organization regularly polls its staff members to determine the types of training that would be most useful for their development. During the pandemic, we have incorporated these trainings into our weekly staff meetings. Examples include a new mentoring program for remote interns who missed out on spontaneous in-office leadership development during the pandemic, providing time for participating in a variety of virtual human rights events for program and administrative staff, and recommending staff for select leadership development programs such as The Fundraising School.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Mobilizing for Mission
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Policy Advocacy
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
The Advocates mobilizes hundreds of volunteers to implement its programming. We work with a wide range of volunteers, including lawyers, interpreters, community activists, teachers, students, and artists. We also amplify our partners' campaigns and participate in the creation and implementation of campaigns such as #WelcomeWithDignity.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Story of Adaptability
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
The Advocates for Human Rights has maintained operations with limited staff in the office and others working remotely. A skeleton crew maintains functions such as receiving and sending physical mail, printing documents, preparing and sending legal filings for clients, etc. All internships are done remotely which required creative thinking around projects and processes. Interns from all over the US are now part of our work. Staff and program directors meetings occur weekly via Zoom rather than biweekly. The closures and policy changes brought on by COVID-19 have created unexpected barriers for everyone. For the immigrants the day-to-day challenges have increased exponentially. Whether as frontline workers risking health and safety to provide essential services or employees in the shuttered service industry, the immigrant community has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and cut out of relief. The Advocates rapidly responded to these effects with services to meeting basic needs, accessing legal relief, advocating for their fundamental rights, and navigating the work permit process. Through conversations with clients, staff, volunteers, and partners, we have focused on four primary areas: a) access to work, b) access to basic needs, c) information on rights and access to legal support, and d) advocacy for immigrants being detained by ICE. To continue our education and policy change work, as well as recruitment and training for legal representation and court monitoring, the Advocates quickly shifted our approach to online training and community-building. We successfully held the annual Upper Midwest Immigration conference on a virtual platform and have had record-number attendances at virtual CLEs. Together with legal and social services partners we provided a multi-session training for attorneys on asylum, human trafficking, and working with people who have Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Additional Information
Unscored
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Organization Leadership
Robin Phillips
Executive Director
James O'Neal
Chair
Previous: Leadership & Adaptability
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. Learn more about how and why we rate Culture & Community.
Culture & Community Score
88
out of 100
The Advocates for Human Rights has earned a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating. The organization provided data about how it listens to constituents (Constituent Feedback) and its Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) practices (see report below).
The Culture & Community Beacon is comprised of the following metrics:
Constituent Feedback: 100/100 (30% of beacon score)
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: 83/100 (70% of beacon score)
Culture & Community Report
88
of 100 points
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
83/100 points
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 83 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 4 diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
View this organization's DEI Strategies
Methodology
We are utilizing data collected by Candid to document and assess the DEI practices implemented by the organization. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the Equity Strategies section of their Candid profiles to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Constituent Feedback
100/100 points
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
View this organization's Constituent Feedback Practices
Methodology
We've partnered with Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Below you can find more information about the metrics we currently evaluate in this beacon and their relevance to nonprofit performance.
Constituent Feedback
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
