Community Foundation Receives Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid
In August, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid. Formerly known as Guidestar, Candid is the world’s largest source of nonprofit information. Used by millions of people each year, it advances nonprofit financial transparency by sharing information that helps donors and foundations make informed giving decisions.
The Platinum Seal of Transparency is the highest level of recognition offered by Candid. To reach this level, the Community Foundation added extensive detail to its profile beyond basic organizational information. The Community Foundation prioritized this achievement to continue to provide exemplary service to our donors, and to lead by example as local nonprofit organizations work to improve their own equity practices.
“We knew what we needed to do to achieve the Platinum level and we started working toward improved data collection and changes to policies and processes within our organization in 2021,” says Corinne Ramler, Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “Most of the work we needed to expand on was within our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.”
Candid looks for qualitative information about goals, strategies, and capabilities as well as quantitative information about results and progress toward its mission. The goal is to move beyond simplistic financial ratios to assess nonprofit progress.
The changes that were implemented throughout the Community Foundation over the past few years to achieve this level include: self-reporting race, ethnicity, gender identity and disability status for staff and the Board of Directors; a new plan to seek individuals from various race backgrounds for Board and staff positions; analyzing data and root causes of racial disparities to determine how it impacts our programs; implementing long-term strategic plans and measurable goals to institutionalize racial equity.
“We’re proud of the progress we made on this effort and we’re glad that donors who use Candid can see a more full and complete story of our organization,” says Corinne. “We still have more items we’re working toward and will continue to make progress so the community can support our organization with trust and confidence.”
The Community Foundation’s profile on Candid can be viewed here.