FIRST Receives Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator
For the eleventh consecutive year, FIRST has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the largest and most prestigious independent evaluator of nonprofits in the United States.Since 2002, using objective analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These Accountability & Transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders.
The 4-star rating, the highest that Charity Navigator awards, recognizes sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. Charity Navigator evaluates more than 8,000 nonprofits each year, and only one in four earns 4 stars.
“Receiving this exceptional 4-star rating sets FIRST apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO, Charity Navigator. “This adds FIRST to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support FIRST.”
Attaining a 4-start rating verifies that FIRST exceeds industry standards – only 1% of the charities evaluated by Charity Navigator have received at least 11 consecutive 4-star evaluations.
“It’s important our donors trust that we’re using their donations wisely to accomplish the FIRST mission,” said Donald E. Bossi, President, FIRST. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters our good governance and financial accountability.”