Where we stand with the charity watchdogs

Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) rates charities with $1M+ in annual revenue across four dimensions: Financial Health, Accountability & Transparency, Impact & Results, and Culture & Community.

Cars Helping Kids is currently below the revenue threshold for a Charity Navigator star rating — our annual revenue puts us in the 'small nonprofit' bucket they don't typically rate. We are listed in their database and can be claimed as a profile.

We will be rated by Charity Navigator automatically once we cross the $1M revenue threshold. Until then, our Form 990 is publicly available for anyone to evaluate using their published methodology.

Candid (GuideStar)

Candid (candid.org) awards Seals of Transparency at four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum.

We are working toward our Candid Bronze seal as a starting baseline. Bronze requires completing the basic-information profile. Silver adds financial transparency. Gold adds program information. Platinum requires impact-measurement data.

Once issued, the Candid seal will appear on our homepage trust wall. Status: pending profile completion.

CharityWatch

CharityWatch (charitywatch.org) issues letter grades (A+ to F) and publishes investigative analysis. They do not rate every charity — only those they choose to investigate.

We are not currently rated by CharityWatch. We support their work in evaluating donor-deceptive practices and would welcome inclusion in their database.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance

BBB Wise Giving Alliance (give.org) accredits charities that meet 20 published standards covering governance, oversight, finances, fundraising, and informational materials.

We are pursuing BBB accreditation. The 20-standard evaluation typically takes 3-6 months. Once accredited, we will display the BBB Charity Seal on our homepage.

State-level charity registration

Most states require charities soliciting donations within their borders to register with the state Attorney General or Secretary of State.

We are registered in Georgia (our home state) and pursuing registration in other high-volume donation states. Look us up via:

• Georgia Secretary of State Charities Division

• National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) directory

• Multi-state filing services compliance databases

How to compare any charity's watchdog standing

1. Charity Navigator: search by EIN

2. Candid: search by name/EIN for transparency seal

3. CharityWatch: browse rated charities by category

4. BBB Wise Giving: search by name

5. State AG: search state-specific 'charity registration' database