America's most independent, assertive charity watchdog LOGIN JOIN DONATE Celebrating 25+ years of helping you give wisely HOME CHARITIES ABOUT US MEMBERSHIP MORE Top Rated DonorsChoose.org SAVE CharityWatch report issued December 2018 A+ CharityWatch Grade Our independent grade based on a number of factors. 94% Program Percentage Amount spent on programs relative to overhead. $5 Cost to Raise $100 Amount spent to raise $100 of contributions. RATINGS & METRICS GOVERNANCE & TRANSPARENCY SALARIES ANALYSTS' NOTES ARTICLES & ALERTS Contact Information DonorsChoose.org 134 W. 37th St. Floor 11 New York, NY 10018 Other Names None Tax Status 501(c)3 Website www.donorschoose.org Stated Mission Engages the public in public schools by giving people a simple, accountable and personal way to address educational inequity; envisions a nation where children in every community have the tools and experiences needed for an excellent education. View similar charities Ratings & Metrics Learn more about Ratings & Metrics Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 06/30/2018 Program Percentage: 94% The percentage of DonorsChoose.org's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses). $138,000,000 Calculated Total Expenses (rounded) Cost to Raise $100: $5 How many dollars DonorsChoose.org spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions. $150,000,000 Calculated Total Contributions (rounded) Government Funding 0% to 24% Percentage of cash revenue coming from government sources Financial Documents Entity Document Type Tax ID DonorsChoose.org IRS Form 990 13-4129457 DonorsChoose.org Audited Financial Statements 13-4129457 Governance & Transparency Learn more about Governance & Transparency CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability. This charity is Top-Rated What does it mean to be Top-Rated? DonorsChoose.org meets governance benchmarks. DonorsChoose.org meets transparency benchmarks. Transparency Provides Financial Information Audit Accessibility Governance: Policies Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy Governance: Financials Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant Governance: Board of Directors Reports at least 5 voting board members 51% or more of voting board members reported as independent Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings Privacy Policy Privacy Policy Opt-In Policy Top Salaries Learn more about Top Salaries Name Title Compensation 1 Charles Best CEO $369,756 2 Oliver Hurst-Hiller CTO $283,009 3 Cesar Bocanegra COO $275,695 Analysts' Notes Learn more about Analysts' Notes CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors. According to the DonorsChoose.org audit of June 30, 2018 (Note 2a, Contribution Revenue): "During the year ended June 30, 2018, DonorsChoose.org received a significant contribution of cryptocurrency. The fair market value of the contribution was $28,721,274. The cryptocurrency was converted to US Dollars over a period of three weeks and used to fulfill classroom projects. DonorsChoose.org was able to convert the contribution to $27,443,498, incurring a $1,277,776 loss on conversion." [Note: For links to news articles about the above-noted cryptocurrency donation, click on the "Articles & Alerts" Tab (above).] According to the DonorsChoose.org audit of June 30, 2018 (Note 4b, Concentrations): "For the year ended June 30, 2018, approximately 19% of total revenue was received from one donor..." According to the DonorsChoose.org audit of June 30, 2018 (Note 8), DonorsChoose.org received in-kind donated services, property and equipment in fiscal 2018 on which it placed a total value of $935,166. Included in the total is $543,596 in donated legal services. [Note: CharityWatch generally excludes the value of in-kind (non-cash) donations of goods and services from its calculations of Program % and Cost to Raise $100. More information on how grades are calculated and the treatment of in-kind donations can be found on the Our Process page.] According to the DonorsChoose.org audit of June 30, 2018 (Note 5b, Conditional Promises to Give): "During the year ended June 30, 2017, DonorsChoose.org received a $1 million grant, of which $500,000 was recognized as revenue in fiscal year 2017. The remaining $500,000 is subject to the achievement of specific milestones specified in the grant agreement and, accordingly, has not been recognized in the accompanying [audited] financial statements. DonorsChoose.org met the milestones in August 2018 for $480,000 of this grant and will recognize that amount as revenue in fiscal year 2019." According to the DonorsChoose.org audit of June 30, 2018 (Note 7, Investments): "DonorsChoose.org has committed to invest a total of $550,000 in a limited partnership which makes periodic capital calls. As of June 30, 2018, $165,000 of this commitment has been invested, leaving an outstanding commitment of $385,000." According to the DonorsChoose.org audit of June 30, 2018 (Note 11, Related Party Transaction): "The Chief Executive Officer of DonorsChoose.org has created RedPen, a Benefit Corporation. The purpose of RedPen is to create an online tool to help improve business writing. This free online tool is available at http://irregardless.org. "RedPen is funded by proceeds earned by the Chief Executive Officer for public speaking engagements. The Chief Executive Officer has contributed to DonorsChoose.org a 20% equity interest in RedPen, which was deemed to have nominal value at the time of donation. Beginning in fiscal year 2014, RedPen began donating at least 30% of its revenue to DonorsChoose.org to fund classroom projects. During the years ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, RedPen donated to DonorsChoose.org $69,350 and $53,215 respectively." Related External Articles Bonanza for schools as San Francisco crypto king Ripple gives $29M to DonorsChoose.org Ripple and its Executives Donate $29 Million to Fund All 35,647 Classroom Requests on DonorsChoose.org CHARITYWATCH CharityWatch, the CharityWatch logo, and the CharityWatch Top Rated Seal are all trademarks of CharityWatch. CharityWatch is a 501(c)3 non-profit with tax ID #33-0491030. 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