Accountability

Through careful stewardship of resources, Catholic Relief Services makes sure the funds you have so generously entrusted go where they are most needed. Accountability is a top priority for CRS. We want you to feel confident that your decision to give to CRS is a sound one, and that your donations will be used effectively and efficiently to make a difference.

Please take a moment to review some of the resources provided here and learn more about how we work. CRS is most thankful for your help; we would be unable to carry out our lifesaving work without it.

CRS is efficient

Catholic Relief Services is one of the most efficient organizations in the world. Did you know that 93% of the money we spend goes directly to programs that benefit the poor overseas? We work hard to keep our overhead down by working smarter, and  eliminating redundancies that often plague other organizations. You are always welcome to review our financial statements.

We strive for efficiency in all that we do. Under our Guiding Principles, based on Catholic social teaching, we follow the tenet of subsidiarity: Most problems can be handled more effectively at a lower level by people who are closer to the issue and have a better understanding of it. In many of the countries where we work, our local Church partners represent an efficient network already on the ground which allows us to mobilize quickly to distribute food, emergency supplies and information, often within hours of a disaster.

CRS is effective

Catholic Relief Services has more than 80 years of experience and technical expertise to help as many people as possible in an organized and manageable way, quickly and reliably. Together with our local partners, we can meet the most critical needs immediately and then help people to “build back better,” so that their communities will be stronger and more resilient.

Our programs are carefully executed, monitored and evaluated by our talented staff—some of the best and brightest—who have chosen to dedicate their lives to serving the poor overseas. It is the caliber of CRS' staff around the world that has earned CRS respect in the humanitarian community. Thanks to their expertise, CRS is regarded as a leader in many of the diverse fields where we work.

CRS is accountable

As a faith-based 501(c)(3) charity, Catholic Relief Services is exempt from filing a Form 990 with the Internal Revenue Service. However, we make all of this information available on our website every year. We invite you to read our financial reports. 
We so value the trust placed in us by our donors that we have created a Pledge to Donors.

Additionally, we are aligned with organizations to uphold integrity and ensure that we meet their strict standards. These are a few examples:

• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (CRS is governed by the USCCB)
• Caritas Internationalis (consortium member)
• Association of Fundraising Professionals (Donor Bill of Rights)
• InterAction (PVO Standards)
• Sphere (Standards in Disaster Response)
• Additionally, we meet all 20 of the strict Charity Standards set by the Better Business Bureau's charity rating arm, the Wise Giving Alliance, and have an "A+" rating from CharityWatch. Both of these charity watchdog groups use criteria that confirm fiscal efficiency, such as percentage of funds going directly to programs, cost to raise a dollar, transparency and honoring of donor intent.

We are most accountable to those we serve, alleviating the suffering of the poor overseas and giving Catholics in the United States the opportunity to live their faith in solidarity with their sisters and brothers around the world.

Ready to make a life-saving donation to CRS?