San Diego County CA— Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County’s (BBBS of SDC) sound fiscal management practices 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 second consecutive year that BBBS of SDC has earned this top distinction. The Big Brothers Big Sisters Nationwide Leadership Council has also honored BBBS of SDC with the highly coveted Gold Standard Award given to only 22 of the 325 Big Brothers Big Sisters network affiliates for meeting and exceeding 2015 program and financial excellence standards outcomes.
“It is an honor to be recognized by both prestigious groups as testament that BBBS of SDC is one of the nation’s premier mentoring organization”, shared BBBS of SDC Board Chair, Rich Yousko. “It’s extremely important that our donors trust we’re using their donations wisely to accomplish our mission. We are committed to provide the same level of efficiency and excellent programming for our children in 2016” Yousko added.
Charity Navigator’s data-driven analysis adds great value as a testimony by a well-respected outside organization that resources are being used wisely to accomplish an organization’s mission. 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 have “best practices” that minimize the chance of unethical activities.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County’s coveted 4-star rating puts it in a very select group of high-performing charities,” according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “Out of the thousands of nonprofits Charity Navigator evaluates, only one out of four earns 4 stars, and only 21% of the charities rated have received at least 2 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that BBBS of SDC outperforms most other charities in America. BBBS of SDC’s supporters should feel much more confident that their hard-earned dollars are being used efficiently and responsibly when it acquires such a high rating.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children with strong and enduring, professionally supported mentoring relationships that lead to positive outcomes for children in its programs. Independent research by Public/Private Ventures found that after 18 months of spending time with their volunteer mentors, youths being served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are more likely than their peers to perform better in school, make healthier and safer choices, and have positive interactions with parents. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Youth Outcomes Survey Report, substantiate that its programs have proven, positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth, areas linked to high school graduation, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness.
“Recognition as a Gold Standard affiliate among peers is the highest level of praise an agency can receive when it comes to serving children,” remarked BBBS of SDC CEO, Deborah Condon. “BBBS National Leadership truly understands the level of complexity it takes to keep kids safe and successfully matched with a caring adult mentor.”
BBBS of SDC’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org. More-detailed information about BBBS of SDC’s rating is available to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users, another free service.