Governance & Financials
Accountability, Transparency, and Commitment to Impact
¾«¶«Ó°Òµ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 54-1517707) founded in 1980.
Our Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers have a long history of operating with the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and ethics.
We realize that if we are to be successful in expanding philanthropy for all, then every day we must adhere to our mission, vision, and core values.
We are proud to have met BBB Wise Giving Alliance's stringentÌý²¹²Ô»å comprehensive 20ÌýStandards for Accountability. See our report .
We are also committed to full transparency and reporting our results and impact, indicated by reaching the Candid Platinum level. See our profile .
Internal and External Oversight
The Directors who serve and oversee ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s Charities help to develop and advance the interests of our donors in ways that go beyond just raising money. For our Board of Directors, good governance is more than just supporting the organization – it also means representing the community’s interests in what we do. As such, the members of our Board of Directors have three fundamental legal obligations, or fiduciary duties, which apply to everything ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s Charities does.
- Duty of Care: The amount of care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise in a like position and under similar circumstances. This describes the criteria our Directors must give to making decisions on behalf of ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s Charities.
- Duty of Loyalty: Keeping the interests of ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s Charities in mind at all times when making decisions on behalf of the organization.
- Duty of Obedience: Requires board members to be faithful to our mission; consistent with the mission statement, Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, and tax-exemption documentation.
Working in partnership with the professional staff, the Directors also cooperate with key legal bodies and various independent organizations that evaluate charities based on a number of factors, not the least of which is an organization’s degree of accountability and transparency.
The Directors and staff at ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s Charities take our responsibility seriouslyÌýto be accountable, transparent, and responsive to the needs of our donors.
Organizational & Financial Information
Legally Incorporated:ÌýEach federation is incorporated in the District of Columbia. Here are links to the original or amended bylaws and articles of incorporation for each federation:
Tax Exempt: ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ and its family of federations are recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as tax-exempt organizations. Here are the IRS determinationÌýlettersÌýfor ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµÌý²¹²Ô»å Community First.
State Disclosure Statements: Here is a link to disclosure statementsÌýfor Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
Volunteer Governance: Here is a link to the list of our volunteer-runÌýBoard of DirectorsÌýthat provides internal oversight to the organization.
Professionally Staffed: Here is a link to the list of ourÌýleadership team.
Independently Audited: Here is a ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Independently Audited Financial ReportÌýby RSM US, LLP.
IRS Verified: ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ andÌýour Community First federationÌýare in IRS Publication 78 and the IRS database of exempt organizations.ÌýHere is a link to the latest copy ofÌý¾«¶«Ó°Òµ IRS Form 990Ìý²¹²Ô»å Community First IRS Form 990.
Stewardship Publicly Reported: Here is a link to the latest copy of ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Consolidated Annual Report.
Privacy Respected: ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s Charities honors the rights and privacy of our donors. We do not sell or trade donors’ personal information to any other entity. Donors are recognized in the organization’s annual report to the community. Donors wishing to remain anonymous should notify ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s Charities at the time a gift is made. Click here to view our privacy statement.