Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator still generates rating profiles from IRS data for every eligible charity, but its Giving Basket now accepts a gift only for a nonprofit that has claimed its page and opted in. Page 4950 moved it out of the shadow-page table on 2026-09-16. It remains a named defendant in the Alaska Attorney General's March 2026 suit over the earlier practice.
The checklist
What we have checked on Charity Navigator, what we found, and what it rests on.
No evidence bundle on file. Checks marked here rest on Whole Whale’s published article or the incumbent directory, not on dated captures. We will replace them with captured evidence, or remove them.
- 1. Off-domain Present, research only
Profiles are served on charitynavigator.org.
Basis: Shadow Donation Directory, nonprofitnewsfeed.com - 2. Auto-generated Present, research only
Rating profiles are generated from IRS data for every eligible charity.
Basis: Shadow Donation Directory, nonprofitnewsfeed.com - 3. No consent Absent
Donations now require the nonprofit to claim its page in the Nonprofit Portal and opt in.
Basis: Shadow Donation Directory, nonprofitnewsfeed.com - 4. Takes gifts Absent
The donate button is disabled for charities that have not opted in.
Basis: Shadow Donation Directory, nonprofitnewsfeed.com - 5. Intermediary Present, research only
For opted-in charities, gifts go first to the Give Lively Foundation with a 2.5% platform fee; reassignment terms are not documented here.
Basis: Shadow Donation Directory, nonprofitnewsfeed.com - 6. Search-indexed Present, research only
Page 4950 states 44,000+ /ein/ profile pages remain in the public sitemap and rank for searches on a nonprofit's name; since the opt-in change these profiles no longer take gifts for charities that have not opted in.
Basis: Shadow Donation Directory, nonprofitnewsfeed.com
Event log
Everything that has happened on the record, newest first.
- Published
Moved out of the table
Page 4950 moved Charity Navigator to its not-a-shadow-page section after it disabled the donate button for charities that have not opted in.
Source: NNF Shadow Donation Directory footer - Platform change
Opt-in requirement documented
Charity Navigator's help-centre article requiring a claimed page and opt-in to receive donations was last updated on this date; the date the policy took effect is not established.
Source: Charity Navigator Help Center - Published
Listed in the original directory table
Page 4950 states Charity Navigator was listed in the original July 2026 table because its Giving Basket accepted gifts for charities that had not agreed to it.
Source: NNF Shadow Donation Directory - Regulatory
Named in Alaska AG suit
The Alaska Attorney General sued six platforms (GoFundMe, PayPal, Charity Navigator, JustGiving, Pledge and Network for Good), Charity Navigator among them, alleging donation pages were created for charities without their knowledge or consent. The complaint text and case status have not been reviewed.
Source: Alaska Department of Law press release, 2026-03-10 - Published
Named in Whole Whale's source article
Whole Whale's article "The Rise of Shadow Donation Pages", dated 2025-11-06, discusses Charity Navigator's Giving Basket in its current text. The saved copy carries later updates (one marked July 2026), so presence in the first version is not separately confirmed.
Source: Whole Whale, The Rise of Shadow Donation Pages
If your organization is on Charity Navigator
We have not verified a removal or claim route for Charity Navigator yet. Search the platform for your legal name and EIN, and contact the platform directly.
Reply and corrections
Charity Navigator can reply to anything on this page by writing to letstalk@wholewhale.com. We publish replies and log corrections with the date they were made.