CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – United Way of the Coastal Bend's strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the seventh consecutive time that United Way of the Coastal Bend has earned this top distinction.
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 and 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. On June 1, 2016, Charity Navigator upgraded its methodology for rating each charity's financial health. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of its four-star charities.
"United Way of the Coastal Bend's exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public," according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. "Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds United Way of the Coastal Bend 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 United Way of the Coastal Bend."
"It's important our donors trust that we're using their donations wisely," said Libby Averyt, President & CEO of United Way of the Coastal Bend. "Receiving a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for a seventh consecutive year demonstrates our good governance and financial accountability to those who generously continue to support our mission."
United Way of the Coastal Bend's rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org. More-detailed information about United Way of the Coastal Bend's rating is available to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users, another free service.