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Donate Life North Carolina

EIN 01-0659217 · Winston Salem, NC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak32 out of 100GovernanceStrong91 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

The mission of Donate Life NC is to actively inspire others to give the gift of life through organ, eye, and tissue donation. This is accomplished through outreach, education, advertising, participating in community health fairs and other events.

Income
$290,799
Spending
$319,489
Spent on programs
58%
Reserves
2.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 63%
Employees
4
Volunteers
65
Highest pay
$95,676, executive dir.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Weak: 32 out of 100. Higher than 5% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 2.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    5 of 20

    It owes 64% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 10% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 10% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    58% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 11 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 77% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    11 of 11 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (6)
  1. $68,300 spent. DMV Outreach: Donate Life North Carolina provides in-depth training for all new DMV Examiners in the state of North Carolina. In FY25, 28 of these special trainings took place.Additionally, continuing education to DMV staff about organ, tissue and eye donation was delivered to each of the 115 DMV offices in North Carolina. Awards were presented to the DMV offices with the highest donor designation rates.Over 40 Donate Life North Carolina Volunteers supported our DMV outreach ensuring reach to every DMV in North Carolina.
  2. $40,472 spent. Teen Outreach: Teen engagement remains a priority at Donate Life North Carolina. We distributed curriculum materials aimed at high school students across the state. In FY25, Donate Life North Carolina participated in 3 conferences to reach health educators and driving instructors, offering materials and support for the classroom. Workingin collaboration with HOSA (Health Occupations Student Association) chapters across the state, Donate Life North Carolina supported in-person classroom presentations and chapter activities. Donate Life North Carolina also attended the Statewide HOSA conference in 2025. Additionally, Donate Life North Carolina, supported the 5SODA (Student Organ Donation Advocates) chapters in the state, including the 3 chapters at colleges including Duke, Wake Forest and Meredith College.
  3. $23,517 spent. Website & Registry Management: Donate Life North Carolina maintains the state organ, eye and tissue donor registry, including making updates, adjustments and repairs as needed. More than 3,000 people joined the registry through the online registry option on the Donate Life North Carolina website during this period.In FY25, Donate Life North Carolina embarked on a significant upgrade to our website and registry. Work will be completed in late 2025 and will include new two-factor authentication, new reporting capability, and other security upgrades for all users.
  4. $22,909 spent. Public Outreach: In addition to outreach at large public events, conferences and speaking engagements, Donate Life North Carolina focused on broad public outreach and advocacy in the state of North Carolina.Our social media, email marketing and media engagements drew wide attention to the need for more registered donors. During FY25, monthly newsletters reached over 5,000 recipients and our social media audiences on Facebook and Instagram continued to grow.
  5. $19,705 spent. Living Donor Program: Donate Life North Carolina continues to highlight the unique opportunity for living donation across the state. Volunteers, personally touched by living donation, spoke atmeetings and outreach events about living donation. Living donor awareness was highlighted at 8 in-person events in FY25.Living donation was also a focus of Donate Life North Carolina's 2 signature events (Hero Runs) in FY25.
  6. $10,079 spent. Multicultural Outreach: Donate Life North Carolina participated in 14 large public events across North Carolina targeting multicultural, rural and underserved communities in FY25. These events ranged from health fairs to community events, concerts and conferences.Each event offered a unique opportunity to reach a specific audience with information about donation and transplant.Over 200 new donors were registered "live" through these events and outreach. Thousands were educated about the myths and misconceptions of donation

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since November 2005.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

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