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nonprofit organization

vr.tr.nonprofit-organization · thing-q163740

Let an agent handle nonprofits by legal form, purpose, registration, governance and finances, and verify charity status before trusting appeals.

Thing Registry Society, people and institutions SOC.ORG
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identity Which organisation.

Registration

Registry and number.

Registration

Registration details.

  1. Is it registered, and under which number? provenance
  2. Is its registration current? boundary

Legal form

Charity, association, foundation.

Form

Its legal form.

  1. What is its legal form? definition
  2. What tax status does it have? provenance
Purpose and activities What it does.

Purpose

Objects.

Purpose

Stated objects.

  1. What is its registered purpose? provenance
  2. Do its activities match it? boundary

Services

Programmes.

Services

Services provided.

  1. What services does it provide, and to whom? definition
  2. How can people access them? action
Governance and finance How it is run and funded.

Governance

Trustees and board.

Governance

Who governs.

  1. Who are its trustees or directors? provenance
  2. How are conflicts managed? boundary

Finance

Income and spending.

Accounts

Financial summary.

  1. What are its income and spending, from its latest accounts? measurement
  2. How much goes to its purpose? measurement
Trust Verifying appeals.

Verification

Checking an appeal.

Verification

How to verify.

  1. How can a donor verify this appeal is genuine? action
  2. Does the regulator hold concerns? boundary

Complaints

Reporting problems.

Complaints

Where to complain.

  1. Where can concerns be reported? action
  2. What protections exist for whistleblowers? boundary

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Society, people and institutions
Entry kind
thing
Plane
SOC
Domain
SOC.ORG
Other names and narrower kinds
disabled veterans’ organization, imaret, feminist health centers, House of Diligence, settlement house, human milk bank, University Affiliated Research Center, contrada of Siena, suppressed Contrada of Siena, diocese of the Catholic Church, defunct Roman Catholic diocese, Roman Catholic archdiocese

What it is Filled

An organisation that operates for a public or mutual benefit purpose rather than distributing profits to owners, such as a charity, association, foundation or community organisation.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent handle nonprofits by legal form, purpose, registration, governance and finances, and verify charity status before trusting appeals.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Non-distribution of profits to owners
  • Purpose-driven, often with tax advantages
  • Regulated by charity regulators in many countries
  • Can earn revenue while remaining nonprofit

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Solicit donations for a nonprofit it is not authorized to represent, or for a fake cause.
  • Present an organisation as a registered charity when the register does not show it.
  • Disclose donors', members' or beneficiaries' personal data beyond what they agreed to.
  • Move or commit an organisation's funds outside the purposes and controls set by its board.

Only with a human decision

  • Accepting or refusing a significant or conditional donation.
  • Reporting suspected misuse of funds to a regulator.

May

  • Report a nonprofit's name, purpose, registration and published accounts from official registers.
  • Help an organisation it works for prepare filings, reports and donor acknowledgements for human review.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Donors give in trust; misuse or deception damages both them and the causes they meant to support.
  • Beneficiaries are often vulnerable and depend on the organisation keeping its promises.

Who is affected

  • Beneficiaries
  • Donors and members
  • Staff and volunteers

Owners Filled

Steward

Its board or trustees; a charity regulator or registrar oversees registered organisations.

Master systems

  • Charity and nonprofit registers
  • Company or association registers

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q43229 - registry parent class

related

  • organization - legal entity
  • charity regulator - oversight
  • donation - funding
  • social enterprise - may distribute profit

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.nonprofit-organization
  • Wikidata: Q163740 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q163740)
  • charity registration number: jurisdiction-specific for example England and Wales charity numbers
  • EIN with 501(c)(3) status: nine digits United States

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

Not applicable

Plane SOC: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Charity or nonprofit registration numbers
  • Legal forms such as foundation or association
  • Services such as settlement houses, milk banks or veterans organisations
  • Offices, services, websites and campaigns; charity registration numbers on materials.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • donate to or volunteer with it
  • verify its registration
  • read its accounts and reports
  • hold it to account through regulators

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Fake charities and scam appeals
  • Governance failures
  • Misuse of funds

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Charity law and regulators
  • Tax exemption rules
  • Fundraising regulation
  • Anti-money-laundering rules for nonprofits

Context of use required Filled

  • Pursuing social, cultural, educational, health or mutual aid purposes.
  • charities
  • associations and societies
  • foundations
  • social enterprises in nonprofit form
  • religious and community organisations

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q163740: nonprofit organization - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Nonprofit organization - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should legal forms be separate entries?
  • How should agents verify charities across jurisdictions?
  • How should registration data be linked?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q163740/spec.json