David Harris
Jewish Federation Recognized as 4-Star Charity for 6th Year in a Row
Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator, bestowed the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati with a 4-star rating—the organization’s highest— for the sixth consecutive year. The rating applies to a nonprofit organization’s sound fiscal management and dedication to accountability and transparency.
“Only 5% of the charities we rate have received at least 5 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Jewish Federation of Cincinnati outperforms most other charities in America,” said Pat Dugan, Founder and Chair of the Board at Charity Navigator. “This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”
Charity Navigator has awarded the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating using data-driven analysis since 2002. In 2011, Charity Navigator added a second dimension of Accountability and Transparency (A&T) to its rating methodology, and now reviews 17 governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, providing information on its website for each of the charities it evaluates. The A&T metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities have “best practices” that minimize the chance of unethical activities and whether they freely share basic information about their organization with their donors and other stakeholders.
Charity Navigator ratings are based on two primary factors:
Financial Health
- Program Expenses at least 75% of total expenses
- Administrative expense between 15-20%
- Fundraising expenses at 10% or less
- Strong revenue growth and program expense growth • Strong working capital ratios
Transparency and Accountability
- Independent Board of Directors
- Board Directors names listed
- Board Directors NOT compensated
- CEO name and salary published
- CEO compensation determination process in place
- Audited Financial Statements
- Limited loan activity
- IRS Form 990 available
- Conflict of Interest Policy in place
- Whistleblower policy in place
- Records retention and destruction policy in place
About Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501 (c) (3) public charity itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America’s charitable givers. Charity Navigator, can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 101, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.
