Guides · Nonprofit marketing
Candid Seal of Transparency: How to Earn It and Show It to Donors
By Josh Croom · October 27, 2026 · 10 min read
The Candid Seal of Transparency is a badge Candid gives a nonprofit for filling in its profile, in four levels from Bronze to Platinum, and it costs nothing to earn. You claim your profile, add what each level asks for, and then show the seal on your own website, where donors who'd never look you up can still see it.
A donor looks you up before she gives
December 29, 8:40 PM. A woman met your director at a fall luncheon, and she wants to give before the year ends. Before she does, she types your group's name into a search bar to see who you are.
One of the first results is your Candid profile. It shows an address, an old tax filing and a note that nobody has claimed it. There's no seal, no program and no word about what you did this year, so the profile gives her nothing to go on.
Less than an hour in the fall would have changed what she found. A claimed profile with a Gold seal tells her what you do and who leads it, and the same seal in your website's footer reaches the donors who never search at all.
What Candid found when it compared nonprofits
Candid looked at 148,786 nonprofits that filed a Form 990 for fiscal years ending in 2022 and 2023. Then it compared the groups that held a seal with the ones that didn't.
- 62%more in donor contributions, on averagefor the nonprofits that held a seal
- 23%of the nonprofits in the study held a sealout of 148,786
- 65%had never claimed their Candid profileso they held no seal either
Why a seal can matter to donors
A seal shows a donor that you've put your mission, your programs and your numbers where anyone can read them. Candid's study found that seal holders averaged 62% more in donor contributions, after the authors allowed for size, financial health, age and governance. For small nonprofits, those under $1 million in revenue or expenses, the gap was 61%.
An earlier, outside study pointed the same way. Two professors looked at more than 6,300 nonprofits listed on GuideStar, which is now part of Candid. The ones with a seal took in 53% more in gifts the next year, on average, even after the authors allowed for size and fundraising costs.
Candid says a seal doesn't guarantee more gifts, because good fundraising still takes strong programs, sound finances and steady work with donors. The seal costs nothing, though, and it helps the people deciding on a gift see the work you already do.
What each seal level asks for
Seals go in order, so you earn Bronze first and build your profile from there. Here's what Candid's 2026 seal guide lists as required at each level.
You don't need a star rating from anyone to earn a seal. The levels only ask what you've shared on your profile, so a small group with one program, a recent Form 990 and answers to the demographic questions can reach Gold.
| Seal | What you add to your profile |
|---|---|
| Bronze | Your name, mission, subject area and the people you serve; a mailing address and website; a main contact and your leader's name and role; and your legal name, EIN and payment address for donations, or a note that you don't take them. |
| Silver | At least one program, with its name, a description and the area it serves. |
| Gold | An audited financial statement or a Form 990 from 2024 or 2025, plus your leader's answers to Candid's demographic questions. |
| Platinum | Your board's answers to the demographic questions, your goals and strategies, and one result you measure, with a number from 2025. |
How to earn your seal, step by step
Candid puts each update at 15 minutes for Bronze, 5 for Silver and 10 each for Gold and Platinum. So plan one sitting for Bronze and Silver, and a second one once your latest Form 990 or audit is in hand. These steps follow Candid's guide as it read in October 2026.
Step 1
Look yourself up
Search your group's name on Candid and on Charity Navigator. Write down any rating or seal you see, and whether each profile says someone has claimed it, because an unclaimed profile is the first thing to fix.
Step 2
Claim your Candid profile
Request access to your organization's profile on Candid. Sign up with a shared work email that two leaders can open, so the profile doesn't go quiet when one person leaves.
Step 3
Finish Bronze, then Silver
Fill in the basics and publish them, then add at least one program with its description and the area it serves. Each level builds on the one before it, so finish them in order.
Step 4
Add your filing for Gold
Upload your latest Form 990 or audited statement and answer the leader demographic questions. The 2026 guide asks for a filing from 2024 or 2025, so use the newest one you have.
Step 5
Share your goals for Platinum
Add your board's demographic answers, your goals and strategies, and one result you measure, like families served or meals given, with a 2025 number. Pick a number you already track, because you'll update it every year.
Step 6
Show the seal
Add Candid's seal to your website footer, so it shows on every page, and link it to your profile. Candid now offers a web widget that updates by itself when you earn a new seal.
Step 7
Keep it current
Candid's help pages say a seal expires two years after you last publish changes, and its 2026 guide asks you to update every year. Put a yearly reminder on the calendar and publish an update even when nothing has changed.
Where 148,786 nonprofits stood
Claim your Charity Navigator profile too
Charity Navigator rates more than 245,000 charities, and its site lists all 1.6 million nonprofits on the IRS list. Donors can find you there whether you've claimed the page or not, so it's worth having a say in what they see.
Any staff member can apply for access through the site's Nonprofit Portal, and a nonprofit can have more than one approved person. Groups rated three or four stars get a toolkit with Charity Navigator's badge, which belongs in the same footer as your Candid seal.
Charity Navigator updates its published ratings several times a year, so check yours every three months. Take a badge down the day it stops matching your current rating, and do the same with a seal that has expired.
When a board member asks how you're rated
Once you've claimed both profiles and put the badges on your site, a question like this takes one text to answer.
A donor asked me tonight how we're rated. Do we have a rating?
We do. Charity Navigator gives us (three or four) stars, and Candid gave us its (level) Seal of Transparency. Both badges are in our website footer, linked to the profiles.
Perfect. I'll send her the link.
Put your rating in words next to the badge
A badge is a picture. Words can be searched, copied and read out loud, so put one line near your mission that says what you hold.
Add any state rating or license you hold to the same line. Then link your active social page next to the badges, so a donor who wants to see your latest work can find it in one tap.
- The line for your site: (Your group) has served (your area) since (year). Charity Navigator gives us (three or four) stars, and Candid gave us its (level) Seal of Transparency.
Common seal mistakes and how to fix them
What often happens
- The seal shows only on Candid's own site.
- The badge is a picture with no words next to it.
- One person's email runs both profiles.
- The seal expired, and the footer still shows it.
What helps a donor decide
- The seal sits in your footer on every page, linked to your profile.
- One line near your mission names your rating and seal level.
- A shared work email runs both profiles.
- A yearly reminder keeps the seal current.
Is your proof working for you?
Answer five quick questions about your profiles. Your answers stay on your device.
Have you claimed your Candid profile?
Does your Candid profile show a current seal?
Have you claimed your Charity Navigator profile?
Do your seal and rating show on every page of your website, linked to your profiles?
Does a shared work email, rather than one person's, run both profiles?
Your proof is doing its job. Keep the yearly reminder, and check your Charity Navigator rating every three months.
You're partway there. Fix the first question you answered No this month, starting with any profile nobody has claimed.
Start by claiming your Candid profile, because the seal costs nothing and every level after Bronze builds on that first step.
Your seal checklist
Tick each one off as you go. Your ticks stay on this device.
0 of 7 done
Where we fit
We manage 35+ Google Ad Grant accounts for nonprofits, and those ads send people who've never heard of a group to its website. A seal and a rating in the footer give those first-time visitors one more way to see the work, and our Google Ad Grants guide explains how the Grant itself works.
On a website we build, the line near your mission is the kind of text change hosting covers. If you'd like a second look at how your site shows your work, book a call with Miguel. He'll walk through your profiles, your footer and what a Google Ad Grant could add for you.
Questions people ask
Does the Candid Seal of Transparency cost anything?
No. Claiming your Candid profile and earning a seal cost nothing. You add information to your profile, and Candid gives you the seal that matches what you've shared.
How long does a Candid seal last?
Candid's help pages say a seal expires two years after you last publish changes to your profile. Candid recommends an update at least once a year, even when nothing has changed.
What are the Candid seal levels?
Candid gives four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. You earn them in order, and each one asks for more, from your mission and contact details up to your goals and one result you measure.
Is GuideStar the same as Candid?
GuideStar is now part of Candid. The study that found 53% more in gifts looked at nonprofits with a GuideStar seal, and today you earn the Seal of Transparency on your Candid profile.
Do we have to answer Candid's demographic questions?
To reach Gold and Platinum you need to respond, but Decline to state and We do not collect this information both count. Candid's guide calls them valid answers that meet the requirements.
See how we manage Google Ad Grants for nonprofits
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