What GreatNonprofits does

GreatNonprofits is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 68-0224596) operating a community-sourced review and ratings platform covering more than 1.8 million nonprofits and charities. Founded by Perla Ni — also the founder and former publisher of the Stanford Social Innovation Review and co-founder of Grassroots Enterprise (later acquired by Edelman) — the company is headquartered at the Sobrato Center for Nonprofits in Redwood City, California. The platform aggregates authentic reviews and stories from donors, volunteers, clients, and beneficiaries, and supports search by location and cause. The firm runs an annual Top-Rated Awards program, distribution of an embeddable Top-Rated Badge, SMS-based review collection via texting a nonprofit's EIN to (888) 432-6659, and a fundraiser tool that converts reviews into peer fundraisers.

The core product is a self-serve web platform where nonprofits can claim profiles, invite reviews, and accept donations through a partnership with PayPal Giving Fund, which processes donations with 1.99% + $0.49 in payment-processing fees and grants funds to recommended charities within 15–45 days. GreatNonprofits charges no platform fee and takes no cut of donations; it also exposes an API/Solutions offering that allows partners to integrate GreatNonprofits data and review content into their own platforms. Revenue is generated primarily through grants and corporate sponsorships (e.g., Silicon Valley Community Foundation has provided grant support), with optional premium visibility services for nonprofits as a secondary stream.

The platform serves three principal customer segments: individual donors and volunteers seeking trustworthy nonprofits, the nonprofit and charity organizations themselves seeking credibility and donor engagement, and funders/grantmakers using reviews for due diligence. Distribution is community-led: nonprofits invite supporters through email, social media, and SMS to write reviews, generating word-of-mouth growth, while major outlets (Wall Street Journal, Economist, Stanford Social Innovation Review) provide earned media. According to a Software Advice study, the GreatNonprofits seal is the second-most-trusted rating seal for donors after the Better Business Bureau, and survey data indicates 72% of people are more likely to give to nonprofits displaying the Top-Rated badge.

Name

GreatNonprofits

Legal name

GreatNonprofits

Website

https://greatnonprofits.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GreatNonprofits operates a free, community-sourced review and ratings platform covering 1.8M+ nonprofits, serving individual donors and volunteers seeking trustworthy charities and the nonprofits themselves seeking credibility, donor engagement, and fee-free donations via PayPal Giving Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Reviews & Ratings Platform

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Recommendation & Discovery Engines (content/product) (BPAMAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

UGC Sourcing & Community Creator Programs (BPAFAHAK)

Keywords

• Nonprofit review platform
• Charity ratings
• Donor reviews aggregation
• Community-sourced ratings
• Nonprofit discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood Shores

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Platform Services (Free Core): GreatNonprofits operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing its core platform free of charge to both donors and nonprofits. The platform does not take a cut of donations. Revenue is generated through alternative means including grants, sponsorships, and optional premium services for nonprofits seeking enhanced visibility.
2. Sponsorships and Grants: The organization receives funding through grants and corporate sponsorships. Press page mentions project funding from specific grants and sponsor recognition for the Top-Rated Awards program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GreatNonprofits operates a free, community-sourced reviews and ratings platform covering 1.8 million+ nonprofits and charities, where donors, volunteers, clients, and beneficiaries can read and write authentic reviews. The platform supplements reviews with an annual Top-Rated Awards program, donation processing via PayPal Giving Fund, SMS-based review collection, embeddable rating badges, and claimed-profile management tools for nonprofit organizations.

Product overview

GreatNonprofits operates as a unified platform for community-sourced nonprofit reviews and ratings. At its core is the Reviews & Ratings Platform covering over 1.8 million nonprofits, supplemented by the Top-Rated Awards annual recognition program. The platform integrates Donation Collection via PayPal Giving Fund for direct fundraising, the GreatNonprofits Badge for embedding ratings on external nonprofit websites, SMS Reviews enabling text-message feedback via a dedicated phone number, Fundraiser Tools letting reviewers convert stories into fundraisers, and Nonprofit Profile Management allowing organizations to claim and manage their listings. The Top-Rated Awards require nonprofits to gather 10+ 4- or 5-star ratings maintaining a 3.5+ average.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GreatNonprofits Reviews & Ratings Platform The foundational free web platform where donors, volunteers, clients, and beneficiaries read and write reviews and stories about more than 1.8 million nonprofits and charities, searchable by location and cause category.
• Top-Rated Awards Program An annual awards program that recognizes nonprofits receiving 10 or more 4- or 5-star ratings and maintaining a 3.5+ average from community reviews, awarding winners with a Top-Rated badge, certificate, press kit, and promotional materials.
• Donation Collection Enables nonprofits to receive tax-deductible donations directly through their GreatNonprofits profile page, powered by PayPal Giving Fund, with GreatNonprofits taking no platform cut and only standard payment processing fees of 1.99% + $0.49 applied.
• SMS Reviews Allows supporters to submit reviews via text message by texting a nonprofit's 9-digit EIN to a designated short-code (888) 432-6659, enabling in-person and offline review collection without requiring internet access; reviews auto-post to the nonprofit's profile as mobile-submitted.
• Nonprofit Profile Management Enables nonprofits to claim their GreatNonprofits profile, update mission, photos, videos, social media links, and donation links, and gain access to review invitations, donation reports, and Top-Rated badge eligibility.
• GreatNonprofits Data API / Solutions for Partners API and embedded solutions offering for partners (including grants-management platforms) to integrate GreatNonprofits nonprofit data and review content into their own platforms and systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% of people say presence of a badge increases their likelihood of giving
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PosibaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 September 2016Partnership to expand reach of crowdsourced intelligence about nonprofits, announced September 6, 2016.
• FoundantcoreTechnology or Integration · 2 April 2014Partnership announced April 2, 2014. Foundant is described as 'the most recommended online grants management system' integrating with GreatNonprofits to source reviews from the charity review site.
• TruistminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 December 2013Partnership announced December 16, 2013 for corporate philanthropy and giving programs.
• PayPal Giving FundcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for donation processing. Donations are made to PayPal Giving Fund (IRS-registered 501(c)(3) public charity), net of payment processing fees of 1.99% + $0.49. PayPal Giving Fund grants funds to nonprofits typically within 15-45 days, or 90 days if not enrolled directly.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Charity Navigator: Leading US nonprofit evaluator providing ratings and analysis to inform donor decisions. Directly comparable as a trust/credibility layer between donors and nonprofits, though it relies more on financial-metric analysis versus GreatNonprofits' community-sourced reviews.
• Candid (GuideStar + Foundation Center): Primary nonprofit information source used by funders, with deep IRS data, Form 990 access, and nonprofit profiles. Direct peer in nonprofit discovery and credibility infrastructure, with a stronger funder-facing orientation than GreatNonprofits.
• GiveWell: Independent charity evaluator focused on identifying high-impact nonprofits through rigorous research. Comparable as a donor-facing trust layer, but takes a top-down research approach rather than community-sourced reviews.
• Idealist: Nonprofit job/volunteer/donation directory serving millions of users. Direct peer in nonprofit discovery, particularly around volunteer matching and organizational information.
• VolunteerMatch: Volunteer opportunity matching platform connecting individuals with nonprofits. Comparable audience and use case (donor/volunteer nonprofit discovery), though narrower in scope.

Broad incumbents

• BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Long-standing charity accreditation body, ranked as the most trusted rating seal by Software Advice (above GreatNonprofits). Adjacent incumbent in nonprofit credibility, with a more traditional standards-based evaluation model.
• Yelp for Nonprofits: General-purpose review platform that hosts nonprofit listings and reviews. Broad incumbent with massive distribution that could compete with or channel traffic to community-sourced nonprofit reviews.

Emerging players

• Network for Good: Donor management, fundraising software, and giving platform serving small nonprofits. Adjacent in nonprofit tech, overlapping on donation flow infrastructure.
• Donorbox: Online donation and fundraising platform for nonprofits with strong SMB presence. Adjacent in nonprofit donation infrastructure, partnering with PayPal Giving Fund similarly.

Others

• GivingTuesday: Global generosity movement that anchors a major annual giving day. Comparable in driving donor engagement and timing-based giving campaigns (GreatNonprofits' Top-Rated Awards run alongside #GivingTuesday).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/greatnonprofits
• Facebookfacebook.com/greatnonprofits
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greatnonprofits
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatnonprofits

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GreatNonprofits