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PLATINUM2025

Kobo

A global nonprofit empowering social impact organizations with high quality data collection tools for challenging environments.

Cambridge, MA   |  http://www.kobotoolbox.org

Learn how to support this organization
GuideStar Charity Check

Kobo

EIN: 37-1934868

Mission

Kobo's mission is to empower nonprofit organizations across the globe with innovative data collection tools for creating positive change. We host and maintain KoboToolbox, a data collection, management, and visualization platform. We provide nonprofits free access to our technology, enabling organizations around the world to make a data-driven impact in local communities.

Ruling year info

2020

Board Chair, President

Patrick Vinck

Chief Operating Officer

Tino Kreutzer

Main address

37 Highland Ave

Cambridge, MA 02139-1015 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

37-1934868

Subject area info

Human rights

International development

Disasters and emergency management

Information communications technology

Environment

Show more subject areas

Population served info

Women and girls

Internally displaced people

Economically disadvantaged people

Refugees and displaced people

Victims of disaster

Show more populations served

NTEE code info

Nonmonetary Support N.E.C. (Q19)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Tax forms

Show Forms 990

Communication

Programs and results

Reports and documents
2023 KoboToolbox 2023 Year in Review: Global Impact Highlights 2022 KoboToolbox 2022 Year in Review: Exciting New Features

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

In 2025, an estimated 305 million people around the world will require humanitarian aid and critical development programming due to escalating conflict, worsening climate disasters, and deepening poverty, with the most severe consequences for vulnerable and underrepresented communities. Innovative and reliable data technology is vital to responding to this escalating crisis, especially in the Global South. KoboToolbox offers a solution: accessible high quality data tools built for the most challenging environments, empowering nonprofits worldwide with the lifesaving data they need. With detailed, accurate data in hand, frontline organizations can deliver more effective and responsive initiatives, driving better outcomes for impacted communities.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

KoboToolbox

Kobo provides accessible high quality data tools to advance positive change globally. KoboToolbox is an innovative open source data collection platform used by organizations around the world in humanitarian action, development, health, research, environmental protection, and other social impact initiatives. Designed for challenging settings, it is easy to use, adaptable, and highly efficient, with a multilingual user-friendly interface. KoboToolbox can be used offline, on inexpensive devices, and in remote areas. Our software includes cutting-edge features for automated transcription and translation for more inclusive and effective data collection.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Refugees and displaced people
Victims of disaster
People with diseases and illnesses

Where we work

  • Global

Awards

Gold Winner for Best Humanitarian Product, Innovation or Service 2022

Anthem Awards

Pizzigati Prize 2024

NTEN

Affiliations & memberships

Harvard Humanitarian Initiative 2005

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Nonprofit organizations using Kobotoolbox

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

KoboToolbox

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Countries and territories where KoboToolbox is used

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

KoboToolbox

Type of Metric

Other - describing something else

Surveys collected per month

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Other - describing something else

Direction of Success

Increasing

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Kobo's mission is to improve access to data collection technologies for social impact organizations across the globe. We aim to help more organizations, especially nonprofits in low-income regions and under-served communities, to effectively use KoboToolbox for high quality data collection and analysis.

By improving access to innovative and reliable data technology, we can make meaningful progress on development goals and support sustainable locally-led change for communities. Advanced data tools enable more accurate, inclusive, and diverse data collection, enhancing our understanding of the communities we serve and improving the effectiveness of our interventions.

To improve access to innovative data technology and empower social impact organizations, we prioritize five strategic areas: feature development, software improvements, user support, inclusive data collection, and growing our user community. In response to the evolving needs of our users, we continuously develop new cutting-edge features, enhance existing functionalities, and improve the accessibility of our platform. We support our users to effectively use KoboToolbox by providing extensive learning resources, online courses, training, and on-the-ground support. To strengthen data capacities for nonprofits worldwide,, we offer learning resources and trainings in multiple languages and are developing tools specifically for under-resourced languages. Through outreach and community building initiatives like our Ambassadors Program, we aim to expand our user base and promote data accessibility, especially in marginalized communities. With KoboToolbox, innovative and reliable data technology can be available to everyone, advancing sustainable locally-driven initiatives globally.

KoboToolbox is run by a diverse international team of data specialists, researchers, developers, designers, and training experts, operating remotely from countries across the globe. Our combined expertise ensures our tools are reliable, innovative, and built for evolving needs in the field. With decades of experience in humanitarian response and development, our team is highly skilled in designing software tailored for humanitarian contexts and resource-limited environments. We deliver comprehensive remote and in-person training, learning resources, and support in multiple languages. Our work is guided by the feedback and needs of our global user community as well as by our partner organizations, Board of Directors, and the KoboToolbox Community Council.

KoboToolbox empowers organizations across the globe to make a data-driven impact in local communities every day. Since its official launch in 2014, KoboToolbox has experienced remarkable growth, with over 400 million surveys collected and 700,000 users worldwide. In 2023, users collected over 22 million surveys per month in 240 countries and territories. Recognized as a global digital public good, KoboToolbox is a leading platform for nonprofit organizations around the world, serving a diverse range of users including community-based organizations, international United Nations agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, over 350 government institutions, and numerous international development banks.

We continue to advance data inclusivity and make our tools more accessible by adding more languages to our interface, providing user support, and offering more multilingual learning resources. By leveraging cutting-edge technology for automated transcription and translation, our newest features enable users to more effectively target their interventions. Our roadmap prioritizes innovation, sustainability, and accessibility, with plans to develop features specifically to better serve marginalized communities. We are also adding high priority languages to our user interface, developing new online courses, improving our support documentation, creating more capacity building resources, and growing our global user community.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals, To improve accessibility and improve support services

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded, We use feedback to inform pilot testing, improvement processes, and project implementation

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Kobo
Fiscal year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
Financial documents
2023 Form 990 2023 Financial Statement 2022 Form 990 2021 Form 990
done  Yes, financials were audited by an independent accountant. info

Revenue vs. expenses:  breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info
NET GAIN/LOSS:    in 
Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Liquidity in 2023 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

1.61

Average of 44.25 over 5 years

Months of cash in 2023 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

3.8

Average of 5021.6 over 5 years

Fringe rate in 2023 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

7%

Average of 1% over 5 years

Funding sources info

Source: IRS Form 990

Assets & liabilities info

Source: IRS Form 990

Financial data

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Kobo

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

Kobo

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

Kobo

Financial trends analysis Glossary & formula definitions

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

This snapshot of Kobo’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.

Created in partnership with

Fiscal year: Jan 01 - Dec 31 picture_as_pdf View full report cloud_downloadDownload data

Business model indicators

Profitability info 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation $97,588 $410,895 -$52,903 -$181,004 $25,204
As % of expenses 207634.0% 292.4% -6.4% -15.1% 1.4%
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation $97,588 $410,895 -$52,903 -$181,004 $25,204
As % of expenses 207634.0% 292.4% -6.4% -15.1% 1.4%
Revenue composition info
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) $97,635 $551,399 $590,824 $1,020,263 $1,854,380
Total revenue, % change over prior year 0.0% 464.8% 7.1% 72.7% 81.8%
Program services revenue 0.0% 0.0% 100.0% 75.2% 30.2%
Membership dues 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Investment income 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2%
Government grants 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
All other grants and contributions 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 24.8% 69.6%
Other revenue 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Expense composition info
Total expenses before depreciation $47 $140,504 $821,215 $1,201,267 $1,829,348
Total expenses, % change over prior year 0.0% 298844.7% 484.5% 46.3% 52.3%
Personnel 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 18.7%
Professional fees 0.0% 4.1% 3.9% 9.3% 8.7%
Occupancy 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Interest 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Pass-through 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
All other expenses 100.0% 95.9% 96.1% 90.7% 72.7%
Full cost components (estimated) info 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Total expenses (after depreciation) $47 $140,504 $821,215 $1,201,267 $1,829,348
One month of savings $4 $11,709 $68,435 $100,106 $152,446
Debt principal payment $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Fixed asset additions $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total full costs (estimated) $51 $152,213 $889,650 $1,301,373 $1,981,794

Capital structure indicators

Liquidity info 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Months of cash 25043.7 45.0 9.4 5.9 3.8
Months of cash and investments 25043.7 45.0 9.4 5.9 3.8
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets 24916.1 42.7 6.5 2.7 1.9
Balance sheet composition info 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Cash $98,088 $527,323 $645,948 $588,774 $580,819
Investments $0 $0 $0 $0 $2,636
Receivables $0 $0 $158,231 $33,228 $109,887
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Liabilities (as a % of assets) 0.5% 5.1% 44.4% 58.3% 59.6%
Unrestricted net assets $0 $0 $447,427 $266,423 $291,627
Temporarily restricted net assets N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Permanently restricted net assets N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Total restricted net assets $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total net assets $97,588 $500,330 $447,427 $266,423 $291,627

Key data checks

Key data checks info 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Material data errors No No No No No

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

Documents
Letter of Determination is not available for this organization
Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

Board Chair, President

Patrick Vinck

LinkedIn profile

Patrick Vinck, Ph.D. is the Research Director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. He is assistant professor at the Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and lead investigator at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. His current research examines resilience, peacebuilding, and social cohesion in contexts of mass violence, conflicts and natural disasters. His research has lead him to examine the ethics of data and technology in the field. He is the co-founder and director of KoboToolbox a data collection service, and the Data-Pop Alliance, a Big Data partnership with MIT and ODI. Patrick Vinck is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Tulane Universitys Payson Center for International Development; and a regular advisor and evaluation consultant to the United Nations and other agencies.

Chief Operating Officer

Tino Kreutzer

LinkedIn profile

Number of employees

Source: IRS Form 990

Kobo

Officers, directors, trustees, and key employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
Related
Show data for fiscal year
Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.

Kobo

Board of directors
as of 5/20/2025
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board of directors data
Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization
Board chair

Patrick Vinck

Bob Kitchen DIRECTOR

Bob Kitchen

IRC

Farayi Chipungu

Harvard Law School

Kam Morshed DIRECTOR

KAM Morshed

BRAC

Patrick Vinck Chief Operating Officer

Patrick Vinck OFFICER

Peter Bouckaert DIRECTOR

Phuong Pham

Harvard Medical School & Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Stephanie Kayden

Kobo, Inc.

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable

Contractors

Fiscal year ending
There are no fundraisers recorded for this organization.