As Henri Nouwen stated in The Spirituality of Fundraising, fundraising is a place where "those who need money and those who can give money meet on the common ground of God's love." There are hundreds of thousands of charities in need, and your diligence into deciding which is worthy of your gift is well warranted. Thank you for considering supporting a member of the National Catholic Development Conference.

What does it mean if the organization you're looking to support is a member of the National Catholic Development Conference?

NCDC members hold sacred the trust established between you, the donor, and the mission you choose to support. Members must adhere to the NCDC Code of Stewardship and Ethics and support the Donor Bill of Rights. In addition, NCDC members send the NCDC Office a copy of their Statement of Accountability, a special purpose report that describes and accounts for an organization's fundraising efforts. Members must also have this report readily available for donors.

What does it mean if the NCDC member organization I'm looking to support is not listed on other charity evaluation sites?

As religious charitable organizations, NCDC nonprofit members are exempt from many of the regulations otherwise legally required for charitable organizations, including filing a federal IRS 990 form. As a result, most NCDC members will not appear on other charitable evaluation websites. This does not mean that NCDC members are not legitimate charities, nor does it exempt them from donor scrutiny, accountability and transparency.

Each year, NCDC member organizations recommit to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and commitment in the Catholic fundraising field. Each organization pledges to remain accountable and to recognize and respect its donors and their rights.

Donor Intent

Scriptures are filled with stories of generosity: the gift of the Child in the manger; the Gifts of the Magi; the Widow's Mite; and most profoundly, the gift of "laying down one's life for one's friends." The donor's intent was always the same. It was always about proclaiming the Good News of God's love.

As you find the common ground where you can proclaim the Good News, thank you for considering a member of the National Catholic Development Conference, an organization that has pledged to hold sacred the trust established between you, the donor, and the mission you choose to support.