family-boysThe Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania’s 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. The 4-star rating in 2020 is the 16th time that Second Harvest has earned this top distinction, placing the organization in the top 1% of all charities ranked nationwide.

Since 2002, using objective, data-driven 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 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.

“Second Harvest’s coveted 4-star rating puts it in a very select group of high-performing charities,” according to Tim Gamory, COO of Charity Navigator. “Out of the thousands of nonprofits Charity Navigator evaluates, only one out of four earns 4 stars — a rating that demands rigor, responsibility and commitment to openness.  Second Harvest’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.”

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

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