Charity Checker: Free Nonprofit Status Check
Check a charity before you donate. Verify any nonprofit's registration status, integrity assessment, financial health, and red flags - free, for 7.9 million+ organizations in 100+ countries.
Free to use, and no account needed.
How to check if a charity is legitimate
Before donating to any charity, it is important to verify that it is a real, registered organization that uses donations effectively. Here is what to look for.
Check registration status
Legitimate charities are registered with a government authority. In the US, that is the IRS. In the UK, it is the Charity Commission. GiveRadar shows registration numbers and status for charities in 100+ countries.
Look at financial transparency
Does the charity file financial reports? What is their overhead ratio? How much goes to programs versus administration? Charities that do not disclose financials are a red flag. On GiveRadar, you can see revenue, expenses, assets, and program spending breakdowns.
Check executive compensation
How much does the CEO earn? Is it reasonable for the organization's size? GiveRadar shows executive compensation data from tax filings so you can judge for yourself.
Look for red flags
GiveRadar automatically detects warning signs: high executive pay, stale filings (a gap of five years or more), and bare-minimum disclosure. User-reported concerns are also displayed.
Read reviews
What do donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries say? GiveRadar shows verified reviews from people who have interacted with the charity directly.
What a nonprofit status check tells you
"Status" means the organization's current standing with its government regulator. A status check answers three questions: is the organization registered, is that registration still active (not revoked, removed, or dissolved), and are donations to it tax-deductible?
Outside the US, every country has its own regulator: the Charity Commission in England and Wales, OSCR in Scotland, the ACNC in Australia, the CRA in Canada, and so on. GiveRadar pulls from these official registries, so one search checks a nonprofit's status wherever it is registered.
For US nonprofits, status comes from the IRS. These four lookups go one level deeper.
Common charity scam warning signs
Six patterns that show up again and again in charity fraud. None of them is proof on its own, but each one is a reason to slow down and run a status check first.
Pressure to donate immediately. Legitimate charities do not rush you.
Cash-only requests. Real charities accept checks, cards, and online payments.
Vague about their mission. They cannot explain what they do with donations.
Name sounds like a famous charity. Scammers use similar names to confuse you.
No registration number. They cannot provide proof of registration.
No financial disclosures. They will not show you their spending.
Charity Checker FAQ
How do I check a nonprofit's status?
Search the nonprofit's name or registration number in a charity checker like GiveRadar. The profile shows whether the organization is registered with its government regulator (such as the IRS in the US or the Charity Commission in the UK), its registration number, and whether that status is still active. For US organizations you can also confirm 501(c)(3) status directly from IRS data.
How can I verify a charity before donating?
Verify five things: the charity is registered with a government authority, it files financial reports, its overhead and executive pay are reasonable for its size, it has no red flags such as years-old filings or bare-minimum disclosure, and reviews from donors or volunteers look genuine. GiveRadar shows all five on one page for free.
Is the GiveRadar charity checker free?
Yes. Checking a charity's registration status, integrity assessment, financials, leadership, and red flags on GiveRadar is free and requires no account.
How do I find a nonprofit's 501(c)(3) status?
Search the organization's name or EIN. A US nonprofit with 501(c)(3) status is listed in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization data, which GiveRadar includes. Its profile shows the EIN, tax-exempt status, and whether donations are tax-deductible.
What is the difference between GiveRadar and GuideStar or Charity Navigator?
GuideStar (Candid) and Charity Navigator cover US nonprofits. GiveRadar covers 7,900,000 charities across 100+ countries using official government registries, so you can run the same status check on a UK, Dutch, Australian, or Kenyan charity as on a US one.
Check any charity for free
One search covers 7.9 million+ nonprofits in 100+ countries: registration, financials, leadership, and red flags on one page.