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FFL100 - Nonprofit Organizations: Annual Reports & Financials

Annual Reports

Many larger nonprofit organizations publish annual reports for their members and interested individuals. These reports include some detailed financial statements, furnishing information about an organizations fundraising and spending activities. They may also include program highlights or accomplishments for that year.

It is more meaningful to look at financial information over a period of years (3), rather than one year's snapshot in time, as nonprofit organizations priorities can change over time.

  • On an organization's website look for the terms: annual report, financials, or publications

The Annual Reports Library has some great tips on how to interpret and extract information from a nonprofit's annual report.

    The Giving Common

    A site run by the Boston Foundation, the Giving Common contains information about nonprofits in Massachusetts. To find information about annual reports, search for your nonprofit and then go to the Financials tab.

    BBB Wise Giving Alliance

    "BBB Wise Giving Alliance reports on nationally soliciting charities that the public has most often asked about as well as charities that request to be evaluated. Give.org reports on about 1,300 nationally soliciting charities. In addition, about half of the 112 Better Business Bureaus in the United States and Canada cumulatively produce reports on over 10,000 locally soliciting charities using the same BBB Charity Standards as BBB WGA."