United Way of Youngstown Earns Highest Charity Navigator Rating for 6th Consecutive Year

(Youngstown, OH) – The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley’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 sixth consecutive time that the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley has earned this top distinction. This year the organization maintained a score of 96%, the highest score ever received over the past 6 years.  

“We are so proud to receive this honor for the 6th year!  We are investing our donors’ money the best way we can.  It’s important our donors trust that we’re using their donations wisely to accomplish our United Way’s mission to break down the barriers children and their families face every day,” said Bob Hannon, President of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.  “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates our good governance and financial accountability.”

The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley is in the top 14% of organizations rated by Charity Navigator to receive their top rating for 6 consecutive years.  United Way is committed to this accountability as it looks to lead our community to a stronger, healthier future.

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.  On June 1, 2016, Charity Navigator upgraded its methodology for rating each charity’s’ financial health with CN 2.1. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of their four-star charities.

“Attaining a 4-star rating verifies that The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in this area of work,” According to Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only 14% of the charities evaluated have received at least 6 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley outperforms most other charities in America. This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness.”

United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org.   More-detailed information about United Way’s rating is available to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users, another free service.

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.

About United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley

The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley will create positive change by collaborating with partners to educate and empower children and families in the Mahoning Valley.  The organization founded in 1919 supports education programs and emergency services.  The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley fights for the education, health and financial stability of every family and individual in our Valley.  Learn more at www.ymvunitedway.org