We get at least a dozen requests from fund raisers each week and they all seem convinced that their's is the most deserving of any cash you might have lying around. So it was with some interest that one of the ones showing up in our mail this week included a note that they had been evaluated by Charity Navigator and been rated the highest rating of Four Stars.
Naturally, that made me curious about Charity Navigator and the work they do. With the thousands of charities in the country, they have to be somewhat selective so they eliminate private foundations, hospitals, educational institutions, and all organizations that aren't required to file IRS Form 990's such as organized religions. They further concentrate only on organizations that raise at least $500,000 per year from the general public and have done so for at least 4 years. They then use the information from the most recent 990's to determine fund raising efficiency and organizational capacity (ability to withstand "lean" years).
I was also interested in some of the editorial comments of the Charity Navigator's CEO as well as some of their hot button items and "caution" lists like the following:
* 10 Charities Overpaying their For-Profit Fundraisers
* 10 Highly Rated Charities Relying on Private Contributions
* 10 Most Frequently Reviewed Charities
* 10 Highly Paid CEO's at Low-Rated Charities
* 10 Charities Stockpiling Your Money
* 10 Charities in Deep Financial Trouble
Although it isn't a perfect answer to evaluating requests for hand-outs, I certainly intend to use it to filter requests that I get in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment