What Are Charity Observers Saying About Cru?

Jesus Film Project^® operates under the Cru^® umbrella of ministries. Aside from Jesus Film Project being a chartered member of the ECFA and being named one of the top most effective charities by ROI Ministries, Cru has been recognized by the following organizations.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

As one of the leading trade journals in the nonprofit sector, The Chronicle of Philanthropy lists the top 400 largest charities in the US annually based on contributed revenue. For the last 20 years, Cru has been listed among one of the top 30 spots.  

MinistryWatch

MinistryWatch profiles public and Christian charities to advocate for donors. Cru was ranked first in MinistryWatch’s list of the 50 Largest Evangelism and Discipleship Ministries.

Forbes Magazine & Money Magazine 

These popular magazines listed Cru as one of the leading religious charities to give to under their religious group sections.

Excellence in Giving 

Excellence in Giving reviews 175 data points about the operations and performance of organizations for high-net-worth donors they provide counsel to. In 2019, they were granted a “Transparency Certification” from the independent philanthropic advisors’ group. 

Better Business Bureau (BBB)

The Wise Giving Alliance, BBB’s charity division, has assessed Cru as meeting 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 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 many tens of thousands of others who have invested in disciple work since 1979.