There are thousands of great nonprofits, but do you ever wonder which nonprofit organizations get the most traction?

To scratch our own itch, we put the time into creating the world’s top 100 nonprofit organizations list covering a whole range of missions from international development, animal welfare, to museums. We wanted the list to be objective and based on publicly available web, social, and fiscal responsibility metrics. For a legend explaining how the rankings are computed, scroll down past the list. Notes: Colleges, universities, and individual churches are not included on this list.

 


Social – Facebook Likes and Twitter Followers
FAQ :: CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE METRICS?Updated May 2016

RankOrganizationAlexaMoz PAMoz LRDFacebook LikesTwitter FollowersCharity Nav
1.00 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 11,254 94.00 20,708 6M 5.4M Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
2.00 Human Rights Watch (HRW) 27,193 95.00 7,845 2.1M 2.8M Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
3.00 Museum of Modern Art 21,374 92.00 12,760 1.9M 2.5M Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
4.00 Human Rights Campaign 40,441 89.00 4,457 2.3M 589K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
5.00 Do Something 45,422 84.00 2,937 2.2M 797K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
6.00 ACLU 28,451 94.00 6,051 668K 257K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
7.00 Doctors Without Borders 99,554 89.00 6,964 1.2M 534K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
8.00 Kiva 16,269 91.00 10,285 281K 571K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
9.00 Rotary Foundation of Rotary International 32,637 90.00 6,743 452K 303K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
10.00 Sierra Club 44,887 90.00 5,749 521K 190K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
11.00 National Public Radio - NPR 527 96.00 13,921 4.8M 5.9M Charity Navigator 3 star rating
12.00 Feeding America 75,133 88.00 2,869 569K 168K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
13.00 Samaritan's Purse 107,285 84.00 3,349 1.2M 163K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
14.00 American Red Cross 12,258 95.00 32,047 725K 2.6M Charity Navigator 3 star rating
15.00 World Wildlife Fund 23,963 91.00 4,769 1.9M 689K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
16.00 Monterey Bay Aquarium 87,008 86.00 2,603 575K 78.6K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
17.00 American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) 20,236 90.00 6,622 1.5M 310K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
18.00 Green Peace 16,967 93.00 9,526 475K 1.5M Charity Navigator 3 star rating
19.00 Environmental Defense 76,183 87.00 2,953 221K 119K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
20.00 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association 69,558 75.00 1,457 2.2M 77.7K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
21.00 Teach for America 55,640 84.00 2,777 234K 137K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
22.00 World Food Program USA 36,621 91.00 5,450 750K 1.2M Charity Navigator 3 star rating
23.00 Smithsonian Institute 6,503 77.00 257 452K 2.3M Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
24.00 St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital 31,185 87.00 4,150 1.9M 399K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
25.00 Operation Blessing International Relief 1,443 67.00 436 2M 346K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
26.00 Alzheimer's Association 20,211 77.00 840 697K 81.1K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
27.00 International Rescue Committee 86,344 84.00 2,848 261K 92.6K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
28.00 American Museum of Natural History 31,892 89.00 6,273 903K 282K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
29.00 Disabled American Veterans 170,555 86.00 2,943 1.3M 41.1K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
30.00 Metropolitan Museum of Art 132,825 73.00 583 1.6M 1.1M Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
31.00 Compassion International 25,304 77.00 668 383K 217K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
32.00 Creative Commons 6,652 96.00 19,932 228K 602K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
33.00 Save the Children 65,671 67.00 303 1.5M 1.4M Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
34.00 Conservation International Foundation 154,614 86.00 2,148 256K 108K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
35.00 National Audubon Society 30,936 90.00 4,282 778K 96.1K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
36.00 National Council of YMCAs of the USA 60,479 83.00 2,553 339K 29.8K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
37.00 Water.org (WaterPartners International) 154,936 82.00 2,423 127K 752K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
38.00 New York Public Library 8,837 71.00 290 244K 1.4M Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
39.00 The Trevor Project 331,345 85.00 3,755 315K 220K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
40.00 Nature Conservancy 34,805 86.00 1,273 850K 513K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
41.00 Charity: Water 64,255 70.00 471 331K 1.5M Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
42.00 Make-A-Wish 86,462 85.00 5,054 811K 202K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
43.00 Art Institute of Chicago 39,478 87.00 5,115 408K 141K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
44.00 Ted Talks 839 95.00 26,673 9M 7.3M 0 - Not Rated
45.00 National Geographic Society 1,265 95.00 15,149 40.6M 11.5M 0 - Not Rated
46.00 Council on Foreign Relations 31,847 87.00 2,876 317K 277K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
47.00 Ronald McDonald House Charities 247,803 84.00 2,582 839K 30.6K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
48.00 Wildlife Conservation Society 133,353 88.00 2,965 337K 22.5K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
49.00 Mercy Corps 132,825 83.00 2,578 168K 58.1K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
50.00 Natural Resources Defense Council 45,751 68.00 319 564K 195K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
51.00 Planned Parenthood Federation of America 20,385 68.00 245 406K 205K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
52.00 Public Broadcasting Service 938 95.00 9,542 2.6M 2.2M 0 - Not Rated
53.00 Girl Scouts of the USA 13,310 87.00 2,920 406K 61.7K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
54.00 Safe Kids Worldwide 153,831 89.00 6,303 1.1M 60.2K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
55.00 Oxfam International 76,220 89.00 3,622 152K 750K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
56.00 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 119,015 84.00 3,351 206K 21.9K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
57.00 GlobalGiving 79,600 84.00 1,903 72.1K 99.7K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
58.00 LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) 29,125 83.00 1,874 395K 106K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
59.00 WikiLeaks 19,084 87.00 4,530 3.1M 3M 0 - Not Rated
60.00 National Multiple Sclerosis Society 27,012 87.00 4,464 302K 47.8K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
61.00 Mayo Foundation 835 95.00 12,394 833K 1.3M 0 - Not Rated
62.00 Defenders of Wildlife 50,591 83.00 1,915 629K 67.7K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
63.00 Oceana 125,968 81.00 1,677 752K 241K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
64.00 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 75,463 85.00 3,828 272K 98.5K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
65.00 The Center for Strategic and International Studies 77,707 87.00 1,249 343K 175K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
66.00 United Way 69,151 92.00 4,179 205K 60.8K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
67.00 Big Cat Rescue 127,746 72.00 844 2.1M 18.8K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
68.00 World Vision USA 40,693 86.00 4,966 1.1M 569K Charity Navigator 2 star rating
69.00 AARP 1,442 72.00 504 1.4M 99.9K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
70.00 Alley Cat Allies 173,392 76.00 1,244 465K 24K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
71.00 American Heart Association 6,735 70.00 511 813K 201K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
72.00 Humane Society of the United States 22,310 65.00 318 2.5M 370K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
73.00 Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation 83,862 91.00 8,208 2M 118K Charity Navigator 2 star rating
74.00 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 25,822 71.00 131 1.1M 2M Charity Navigator 3 star rating
75.00 American Diabetes Association 13,722 73.00 595 657K 105K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
76.00 Cleveland Clinic Foundation 8,447 86.00 1,960 1.5M 556K 0 - Not Rated
77.00 Mount Sinai 35,439 84.00 1,511 204K 60.4K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
78.00 International Fund for Animal Welfare 100,179 81.00 1,791 535K 53.8K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
79.00 Best Friends Animal Society 52,177 83.00 3,423 1.1M 223 Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
80.00 Invisible Children 448,655 79.00 1,937 3M 248K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
81.00 Farm Sanctuary 177,818 66.00 285 466K 80.9K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
82.00 Livestrong 76,248 85.00 3,109 1.6M 1M 0 - Not Rated
83.00 Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation 434,513 76.00 1,411 221K 68.8K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
84.00 Habitat for Humanity 55,223 91.00 8,729 491K 111K Charity Navigator 2 star rating
85.00 CaringBridge 7,810 89.00 2,401 318K 15.5K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
86.00 Amnesty International USA 70,427 87.00 2,097 793K 1.8M Charity Navigator 1 star rating
87.00 JFK Center for Performing Arts 44,567 70.00 263 144K 46.7K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
88.00 National FFA Foundation 130,281 80.00 1,519 337K 62K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
89.00 Boy Scouts of America 16,385 77.00 518 374K 59.4K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
90.00 ONE 73,512 84.00 2,253 1.1M 909K 0 - Not Rated
91.00 Ashoka 85,683 67.00 227 92.5K 498K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
92.00 Acumen 166,586 75.00 566 64.7K 470K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
93.00 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 76,693 88.00 5,319 319K 16.8K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
94.00 Stand Up To Cancer (Entertainment Industry Foundation) 479,389 62.00 168 1.3M 275K Charity Navigator 4 Star Rating
95.00 American Cancer Society 6,918 75.00 1,074 1.1M 635K Charity Navigator 2 star rating
96.00 Mozilla 238 96.00 23,280 185K 166K 0 - Not Rated
97.00 Children's Hospital (Seattle) 67,556 80.00 1,227 173K 56.7K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
98.00 Goodwill 46,071 84.00 3,829 146K 25.4K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
99.00 CARE 83,008 67.00 271 406K 657K Charity Navigator 3 star rating
100.00 Food & Water Watch 89,530 79.00 1,919 146K 55.1K Charity Navigator 3 star rating


Though follower counts aren’t a perfect measure of social media authority, they are certainly a great indication and are the easiest to understand and measure. These numbers can be found by going to the primary facebook and twitter pages owned by an organization. If an organization owns multiple accounts on a single social network, we only count the largest as this eliminates inflation caused by duplicate followers.

Buzz Depth – Moz’s Open Site Explorer Page Authority
Predicts the website home page ranking in search engines based on an algorithmic combination of the number of sites linking to it, the total number of links, Facebook shares & likes, tweets, and Google +1s.

Buzz Scope – Moz’s Open Site Explorer Linking Root Domains
The number of unique root domains containing at least one url linking to the website’s homepage.

Traffic – Alexa Rank
Alexa’s traffic rankings are based on the usage patterns of Alexa Toolbar users and data collected from other, diverse sources over a rolling 3 month period. A site’s ranking is based on a combined measure of reach and pageviews. Reach is determined by the number of unique Alexa users who visit a site on a given day. Pageviews are the total number of Alexa user URL requests for a site. However, multiple requests for the same URL on the same day by the same user are counted as a single pageview. The site with the highest combination of users and pageviews is ranked #1.

Google’s Opinion – Google PageRank
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page’s value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves “important” weigh more heavily and help to make other pages “important.”

Responsibility and Transparency – Charity Navigator Four Star Rating Scale

Charity Navigator rates organizations based on a complex series of fiscal responsibility and transparency metrics. The final score is then mapped to a 4 star rating scale. One limitation to this metric is that not all organizations on our list are currently rated by Charity Navigator. Still, in this edition of the list we chose to include it when calculating our top 100 because of the unique value they bring.

FAQ :: HOW THE LIST IS COMPUTED

  • Thousands of nonprofit organizations are reviewed in a preliminary screening to determine if their statistics are competitive enough to be ranked.
  • 500 organizations are then selected to be ranked.
  • Data is collected for each nonprofit from all 7 measured criteria (i.e., Facebook Likes, Twitter Followers, Moz Page Rank (homepage), Moz Linking Root Domains, Alexa Rank, Google PageRank, and Charity Navigator Rating).
  • For each of the 7 measured criteria, each organization is ranked in comparison to all other nonprofit organizations being evaluated.
  • A composite rank for each nonprofit is determined by 1/3 weight to social media (Likes and Followers), 1/3 weight to overall website rankings (Alexa, Page Authority, Linking Root Domains, PageRank) and 1/3 to Charity Navigator Rating.
  • The top 100 organizations are published.