How to read a FundTracker campaign page

A campaign page on FundTracker shows numbers pulled from GlobalGiving, plus two scores we calculate ourselves. This guide explains each one, what it can tell you, and what it cannot.

Goal and amount raised

The goal and the amount raised come from GlobalGiving's listing for the project, and are shown in US dollars. The progress bar is simply raised divided by goal. A bar at 100% means the target was reached; it does not mean the project is finished or that the organization needs nothing more.

The figures are refreshed when our data syncs. They can lag behind the live page, so open the campaign on GlobalGiving to see the current total before you give.

The Funding score

Every campaign shows a Funding score between 70 and 95. It is worked out like this:

• Start at 70.

• Add one quarter of the percentage of the goal that has been raised, up to 25 points (reached at 100% funded).

So a campaign with nothing raised scores 70, one half funded scores about 83, and a fully funded one scores 95. The score uses nothing except funding progress. It says nothing about the organization, how it spends money, or what the project achieves. Treat it as a progress indicator, not a rating.

The NGO score

Organization pages show a separate NGO score, from 40 to 99. It adds points for what we can see in public data:

• A base of 50.

• 15 points for having a website listed, 10 for a mission statement and 5 for a logo.

• Up to 20 points for the total amount raised across its campaigns (scaled logarithmically, so doubling the money does not double the points).

• Up to 10 points for the number of campaigns.

This is a completeness-and-activity measure. It is not an audit and does not assess finances, governance or results. Our scoring guide has the full method.

What the scores cannot tell you

• Whether the organization spends money well.

• Whether a project achieved what it promised.

• Whether a high-scoring campaign is a better gift than a low-scoring one.

Before you give

• Open the campaign on GlobalGiving and read what the money is for.

• Visit the organization's own website and look for annual reports or financial statements.

• Check whether the organization is registered in its home country, using that country's official charity register where one exists.

• Give through the donation page on GlobalGiving, not through any link you did not expect.

FundTracker is an information site, not a charity evaluator. We show you the numbers so you can ask better questions.