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Charity Navigator Rates the Community Foundation a Four Star Charity

Charity Navigator is the nation’s largest independent charity evaluator. As a guide to intelligent giving, their mission is to “make impactful philanthropy easier for all.” The Community Foundation recognizes the Charity Navigator website as a valuable tool to help donors give well and we use Charity Navigator as one of our Stewardship resources. Charity Navigator rates charities by evaluating two areas of performance: Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency. The website lists more than 9266 evaluated charities, typically large national charities. If a charity meets its published criteria, it will consider rating regional organizations that make repeated and numerous requests for evaluation. We have contacted Charity Navigator through their website to request an evaluation of the Community Foundation for years - to no avail.  I believe a concerted effort by our CFO, Melissa Tschanz, helped turn their attention to the Community Foundation of Western Nevada. The Community Foundation rating was published in November 2019, and I couldn’t be more pleased.  We work to be a charity that sets the standard for philanthropy, and not just by example. We also help other charities in our community learn how to raise their levels of accountability and impact in the community.

When I heard that we were a 4-Star charity, I didn’t, at first, realize that we were the highest ranked charity in Northern Nevada!

  • We are honored to be one of nine well-respected charities in Nevada that have earned a 4 – star rating.
  • There are 13,208 charities registered in Nevada
  • We are the third highest-rated nonprofit organization in the State
  • We rank only 23/100ths points below the highest rated charity in the State

One of the reasons this is a big deal to me is because we don't submit anything for this rating.  Charity Navigator analysts examined our tax returns, financial statements, policies, our website, and transparency to determine a score based on seventeen different metrics. Their assessment indicates whether a charity follows best practices of governance and ethics and whether we make it easy for donors to find critical information about us.  For example, if it takes more than one click from our home page to see our financial statements, we lose points. We strive to be excellent in all we do and to make that transparent. Community Foundation Board and Staff work to meet the highest standards of accountability and effectiveness that our Fundholders, Professional Advisor Council, and community supporters expect from us. Our goal is to set the example of best practices in philanthropy; earning the 4-star rating affirms our success in that endeavor. Visit the Community Foundation rating page on Charity Navigator.  If you are a professional advisor or a generous philanthropist who would like an unparalleled philanthropic partner, please give us a call.  Our philanthropic advisors are ready to help craft a plan that will bring immense satisfaction and incredible impact.  Give us a call today. Please share our information with your friends and colleagues and help encourage impactful philanthropy in our region. Chris Askin, President, and CEO 775-333-5499 P.S. learn about how to establish your charitable giving fund today.