Get Recognized

Earn your Candid Seal of Transparency

Candid (formerly GuideStar) is where funders and millions of donors look up nonprofits. A Seal of Transparency shows them your organization is open, credible, and worth supporting. It is free, and you earn it yourself by filling in your profile. Here is how, step by step.

We are strong believers in the Seal of Transparency, and we encourage every organization on All In One Nonprofit to earn one. Being transparent builds trust with funders, and a great deal of what the higher seals ask for is information your apps already help you put together.

A quick clarification first. Candid does not judge or rate your organization, and there is no application committee. The Seal of Transparency is not an accreditation or a quality score. You earn it simply by sharing information about your organization on your Candid profile. The more you share, the higher the seal. It is completely free. (Charity Navigator, which actually rates organizations, is a separate thing.)

🏅 The four seal levels

Bronze

Make sure donors can find you

The basics that put your organization on the map: your contact information, mission statement, and key identifying details.

You add: address, website, mission, and the essentials of who you are.

Silver

Tell donors about your work

Make the case for support by describing what you actually do, so a funder understands your programs at a glance.

You add: your programs, a fuller description of your work, and basic financial context.

Gold

Earn funders' trust

Open your books and your leadership. This is the level where serious funders start to take you seriously.

You add: financial details and your board and staff leadership demographics.

Platinum

Highlight your impact

The top level. Show not just what you do, but the difference it makes, with real goals and measurable results.

You add: your goals, strategies, and impact metrics (the numbers behind your results).

📌 How to claim your profile and earn the seal

  1. Register or sign in at Candid

    Go to app.candid.org and create a free account (or log in if you already have one).

  2. Find your organization

    Search for your nonprofit by name or EIN. Nearly every U.S. 501(c)(3) already has a profile from public IRS data, so it is usually there waiting for you.

  3. Claim it as an authorized representative

    Request to manage the profile. Candid verifies that you actually represent the organization before giving you edit access. This is a one-time step and protects your profile from anyone else editing it.

  4. Update your profile, section by section

    Work through the profile editor and fill in each area. As you complete the requirements for a level, that seal is awarded automatically. There is nothing to submit and no waiting on a review board.

  5. Reach for Gold and Platinum

    Keep going past the basics. Add your financials and leadership demographics for Gold, then your goals, strategies, and impact metrics for Platinum. This is where funders pay the most attention.

  6. Refresh it every year

    Each seal is stamped with the year (for example, "2026 Platinum"). Update your profile annually to keep your seal current, and your latest information keeps flowing out to Candid's 200-plus partners, funders, and donor platforms.

✨ How All In One Nonprofit helps you get there

The higher seals ask for exactly the kind of information your platform already helps you organize. When it is time to update your Candid profile, pull it straight from your apps:

  • Mission and programs (Bronze and Silver): use your Organization Profile and Impact and Outcomes program descriptions.
  • Financials (Gold): use Financial Management and your Annual Report figures.
  • Board and leadership (Gold): use Board Management and Employment and HR for your leadership roster.
  • Goals, strategies, and impact metrics (Platinum): use Impact and Outcomes and the Annual Report, which are built to capture goals and measurable results.

Ready to claim your profile?

Start with your free Candid account, find your organization, and begin working up the seal levels. Bronze takes only a few minutes, and every level after that makes your organization more fundable.

Claim your profile at Candid →

📚 Related reading

All In One Nonprofit is not affiliated with Candid and receives no compensation for recommending the Seal of Transparency. We encourage it simply because transparency helps your organization earn trust and funding. Candid sets the exact requirements for each seal level, and they can change, so always confirm the current steps on candid.org.
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