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Assessment Method

True Non-Profit assessments must be evidence-led, reproducible, conservative, and clear about uncertainty.

Evidence Standard

Assessments should prefer primary public evidence:

  • annual reports
  • audited financials
  • regulator filings
  • governance documents
  • conflict policies
  • public program data
  • evaluation reports
  • official statements

Secondary reporting can help identify questions, but it should not carry a score by itself unless primary evidence is unavailable and the limitation is stated.

Workflow

  1. Identify scope. Name the legal entity, jurisdiction, operating names, and time period.
  2. Collect evidence. Save links and short notes for each scoring dimension.
  3. Score dimensions. Assign dimension scores with one-paragraph reasoning each.
  4. Check red flags. Review private benefit, governance capture, opacity, and mission drift.
  5. Publish draft. Mark the assessment as draft until reviewed.
  6. Review and update. Revise when new evidence appears or an organization responds with corrections.

Assessment Status

Status Meaning
Not assessed The organization is listed as a candidate, but no evidence file exists.
Evidence gathering Sources are being collected. No score should be shown yet.
Draft score A score exists, but the review is incomplete or awaiting challenge.
Reviewed The score has evidence, reviewer notes, and a visible update date.
Disputed A material challenge exists and should be visible next to the score.

Red Flags

Insider extraction

Unusual compensation, related-party contracts, perks, loans, opaque vendor relationships, or family control.

Donor capture

Mission decisions appear controlled by funder preferences rather than public-benefit reasoning.

Impact theater

Heavy reporting on activities, photos, campaigns, or reach without credible outcome evidence.

Accountability avoidance

No practical correction channel, no visible handling of harm, and no meaningful response to criticism.

Boundary

This framework is not legal, tax, investment, or donation advice. It is a public reasoning framework. Legal compliance matters, but trueness is broader than compliance.