Registered users: We’re modifying the Data Shepherd tools right now. Subscribe to our SGO updates (see the box in the right column) and we’ll let you know when the modifications are complete.
What’s a Data Shepherd?
Data Shepherds are SGO registered users who track down, enter, verify or report data issues in Charity Reports. By doing so, Data Shepherds provide key information on charities that they and all other SGO users can use to screen charities.
Any SGO registered user can be a Data Shepherd
This includes those who are donors to, or volunteers, board members or staff for, charities included in the SGO database.
Data Shepherd Guides and Projects
See our Data Shepherd guides and projects. You can be a Data Shepherd in ten minutes or less.
Data Shepherd Principles
- Verifiability:All data must be attributable to a reliable, published online source appropriate for the content in question. Examples from the Key 990 Data tab:
- The “Link to online return” information must be to a return publicly available online through the National Center for Charitable Statistics, GuideStar.org, or a similar source.
- The “Link to organization website” must be to the site shown in the linked Form 990 or Form 990-EZ, or to the charity’s main public website.
- All other data must come directly from the linked Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
- Published Sources: All data must come from identified written sources available online to the general public. For example:
- On the Program Evaluation tab, “Largest program outputs” and “Largest program outcomes” must come from a public source identified on that tab.
- On the More Information tab, information on coverage by GuideStar, CharityNavigator and CharityWatch must come directly from those sites.
- Reporting Data Issues, Violations and Civility: We try to maintain a family-friendly atmosphere at all times. Please show respect for your fellow Data Shepherds. If you spot errors or other issues with information already entered in a Charity Report, use its “Report Data Issues” tab — keeping in mind that your report will be visible to all registered users. If you believe that someone has violated the Data Shepherd principles, please send us the information using the Feedback page with brief description of what you believe is wrong.
- Rights Reserved by SeriousGivers: SeriousGivers owns SGO and reserves all rights. If a person violates these Principles or shows a disregard for them, our staff and our community, they run the risk of losing their account. We reserve the right to deactivate any account and to edit or remove any content without warning. These Principles are subject to change by SeriousGivers at any time without notice.
