Every Child Deserves a Safe Childhood
When a child goes missing, every second matters. NCMEC is the nation’s leading child protection organization, working to find missing children and keep all children safe.
NCMEC operates in real time alongside law enforcement—coordinating urgent responses, analyzing critical reports, and providing expert guidance when it matters most. In the face of the unthinkable, families turn to NCMEC as a trusted partner—offering clarity, compassion, and steady support during the most overwhelming moments.
Story Behind the Leadership
Elizabeth Bowman McLaughlin
2026 NCMEC Board
Join me in supporting NCMEC. A donation today can make an immediate, life‑saving difference for children and families.
Elizabeth has spent her career advocating for children who are too often overlooked. During more than nine years in DC child welfare as both a caseworker and supervisor, she witnessed firsthand how exploitation, trafficking, and missing child cases can overwhelm even the most dedicated professionals and how critical it is to have a national organization like NCMEC working alongside them. That perspective is also deeply personal.
As a survivor of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST), Elizabeth understands both the challenges vulnerable children face and the life-changing impact of coordinated support. Her professional experience, lived experience, and academic research have shaped a commitment to advancing survivor-informed practices and strengthening the systems that protect children.
She believes every child deserves the chance to be found, protected, and supported. That's why she champions NCMEC's work. Donor support helps provide the resources, expertise, and partnerships that law enforcement and families rely on when every moment matters and helps ensure children facing exploitation or going missing are never left without hope.
Every child deserves to be safe, supported, and found.
Your donation keeps critical resources in place so NCMEC can respond the moment a child goes missing. It strengthens prevention efforts that protect children before harm occurs. And it provides ongoing support for families and survivors on the path to recovery.
Our board members help lead this work alongside a dedicated team committed to protecting children every single day. We invite you to join them.
Make a gift today and stand with the families who need it most.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
At NCMEC, our teams work around the clock—responding to urgent reports, supporting families in crisis, and helping bring children home safely. We partner with families, private industry, law enforcement, and communities to find missing children, stop child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization.
This work never stops. And neither can we.
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NCMEC holds a perfect 100% four star rating on Charity Navigator, a gold seal of excellence from America's Best Charities, and a top charity rating from the Better Business Bureau, among several other awards and recognitions. Over 92 cents of every dollar raised goes towards NCMEC's programs and services. When you give to NCMEC, you can rest assured that your donation helps to find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization.