Allied Jewish Federation Receives Highest Rating from Charity Navigator

(November 11, 2008)—The Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado is proud to announce it has received Charity Navigator’s coveted four-star rating for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances.  This is the highest rating awarded by Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator, and indicates that Federation not only executes its mission in a fiscally-responsible way, but also out-performs most other charities across the country.

Using a unique method of applying data-driven analysis to the charitable sector, Charity Navigator evaluates ten times more charities than its nearest competitor and currently attracts more visitors to their website, www.charitynavigator.org, than all other charity rating groups combined.  It is estimated that last year, Charity Navigator influenced more than $10 billion in charitable gifts.  The organization has been profiled in Forbes, Business Week, and Kiplinger’s Financial Magazine.

In a letter to Federation, Ken Berger, President and Executive Director of Charity Navigator stated, “On behalf of Charity Navigator, I wish to congratulate Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado on achieving our coveted four-star rating for sound fiscal management.  As the non-profit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency, and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars.  This ‘exceptional’ designation differentiates Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”

Doug Seserman, Federation’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “It is an honor and a privilege to receive Charity Navigator’s highest rating for charitable organizations, and the Federation looks forward to meeting the needs of all those we serve in a manner befitting this wonderful distinction.  Federation has worked very hard over the past several years to create an organization that serves our donors, our community partners, and the entire Jewish community as efficiently and effectively as possible.  We are extremely proud of everything we have accomplished in terms of increasing our revenues while maintaining a streamlined operation—a factor that is becoming increasingly important during these challenging economic times.”

Steve Morris, Chair of Federation’s Jewish Philanthropy Center and the community’s Annual Campaign, stated, “I am proud to represent an organization that upholds such high standards of fiscal responsibility while it continues to raise increased dollars for our community—as it has done year-after-year, every year for the past six years.  A four-star rating from Charity Navigator offers our donors additional reassurance that the funds we raise are being used to fulfill their philanthropic goals and make a difference in the world, which is what giving to Federation is really all about.”

Judy Robins, Chair of Federation’s Coordinating Council, added, “It’s no secret that Federations across North America—including ours—are often criticized for having high overhead, particularly in the face of declining revenues and donors.  The Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado has already distinguished itself as being one of only a handful of Federations that have achieved increases in both revenues and donors consistently during the past several years.  This four-star rating from Charity Navigator is icing on the cake and really speaks to our commitment to being thoughtful and responsible stewards of our donors’ generosity as we work to meet our community’s needs.”

For more information about Charity Navigator—or the details related to Federation’s four-star rating—please log onto www.charitynavigator.org today.  For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation to the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado, please visit www.jewishcolorado.org/give today.

For more than 60 years, the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado has been building and sustaining Jewish life across Colorado, in Israel, and around the world.  Each year the Federation mobilizes the Jewish community to raise the crucial funds required to provide food, refuge, comfort, education, and emergency assistance to millions of people in-need.  Last year, the Federation raised more than $18.9 million that benefited dozens of charitable agencies, both locally and worldwide.