What Are Charity Observers Saying About Cru®?
Jesus Film Project® operates under the Cru umbrella of ministries. Cru is a chartered member of the ECFA, certified as transparent by Excellence in Giving, and Jesus Film Project is named one of the Top 10 most effective charities by ROI Ministries.
Cru is recognized by the following organizations:
ROI Ministry identifies and highlights effective ministries that promise the best return on their investment and are considered great kingdom investment opportunities. Jesus Film Project is globally ranked as a Top 10 Ministry.
Chronicle of Philanthropy has been the premier source of news, information, analysis, and opinion in the rapidly growing nonprofit world. They list the top 400 largest charities in the U.S. annually based on contributed revenue. For the last 20 years, Cru has been listed as one of the Top 30.
MinistryWatch profiles public and Christian charities to advocate for donors. Since November 2023, Cru was ranked #6 in MinistryWatch’s 50 Largest Evangelism and Discipleship Ministries list. MinistryWatch advocates for transparency, accountability, and the renewed credibility of Christian ministries.
Forbes, known for publishing news and information about various businesses worldwide, lists Cru at #28 in religion on the Forbes Top 100 Largest U.S Charities List for 2023. Under their religious group sections, Cru is one of the leading religious charities to donate to.
Excellence in Giving reviews 175 data points about the operations and performance of organizations for high-net-worth donors they provide counsel. In 2019, they were granted a “Transparency Certification” from the independent philanthropic advisors’ group. To continue to carry this certification, Excellence in Giving requires it to be renewed annually.
The Wise Giving Alliance, BBB’s charity division, has assessed Cru to have met all 20 criteria of their standards for accountability.
Why Aren’t We Listed by GuideStar.com or Charity Navigator?
Cru is classified by the IRS as a “Religious Order” (RO). Under the Internal Revenue Code, an RO is not required to file Form 990.
As a result, group lists featured in Charity Navigator and GuideStar do not account for organizations like ours because they gather their data from such forms.
Why Don’t We File the 990 Form?
990 forms are required to be filed by tax-exempt organizations. ROs, which include churches and a few other church-related organizations, are exempt. Cru and its ministries fall under the blanket of church-related organizations and therefore, are not required to file.
We trust this clarification and disclosure provides you the confidence to support this ministry along with tens of thousands of others who have invested in this evangelism and discipleship work since 1979.
If you’d like to read more about our position on transparency, visit our financial accountability page.