GuideStar Adds Hate-Group Warning Labels to 46 Nonprofit Profiles

Nonprofit-information site GuideStar has begun flagging the profiles of organizations accused of spreading hate.

Forty-six organizations now have prominent warning banners at the top of their GuideStar profiles alerting viewers that the Southern Poverty Law Center considers them hate groups.

GuideStar CEO Jacob Harold said the new banners came at the request of site users.

“As we’ve seen a rise in hateful rhetoric and hate crimes, we have also been hearing from some of our users that they want to ensure they’re not making donations” to groups that support hateful views, he said.

A recent Chronicle of Philanthropy analysis found that more than 60 tax-exempt organizations are considered hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

When viewers scroll over the new banners on GuideStar’s website, additional information pops up: “The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a respected hate-group watchdog. There is disagreement on some of SPLC’s specific choices, but on balance GuideStar believes the analysis is strong enough to share. We leave it to you to come to your own conclusions.”

GuideStar, which got its start serving donors by making available online the informational tax returns filed by nonprofits, has evolved to now share many sources of data including external reviews through Great Nonprofits and self-reported program results data from charities. The organization has long resisted the “charity watchdog” label, describing itself as neutral.

The addition of the Southern Poverty Law Center data is just another source of information, Mr. Harold said.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re fully endorsing every decision that the SPLC makes,” he said. “We’re constantly trying to tell as multidimensional story about nonprofits as we can.”