Heart of West Michigan United Way Receives Four-Star Rating From Charity Navigator
Heart of West Michigan United Way is proud to announce Charity Navigator, the world’s largest and most trusted nonprofit evaluator, recognized our organization with its top four-star rating. Attaining a four-star rating verifies that Heart of West Michigan United Way exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in our area of work.
“At Heart of West Michigan United Way, we strive for transparency and equity in every aspect of our work, our partnerships, and our investments,” said Michelle Van Dyke, President and CEO of Heart of West Michigan United Way. “Charity Navigator not only holds our organization accountable, but also confirms we continue to make real progress toward reducing poverty in Kent County.”
This is the seventh consecutive year Charity Navigator has given our organization a four-star rating.
What is a Charity Navigator four-star rating?
Since 2001, Charity Navigator has empowered millions of donors by providing free access to data, tools, and resources to guide philanthropic decisions. Through their work, Charity Navigator shows how efficiently they believe a charity will use financial support, how well it sustains programs and services, and its commitment to good governance, best practices, and openness with information.
The organization provides clear, objective, and reliable reviews to rate nonprofits on a 100-point scale based on:
Administrative expenses
Fundraising expenses
IRS tax status
Length of operations
Location
Public support
Revenue
Through these ratings, Charity Navigator helps donors learn how a nonprofit compares with others nationwide and shines a light on truly effective organizations.
What does a four-star rating mean?
Charity Navigator gives a four-star rating to “exceptional” organizations who score a 90 or above in their review.
Heart of West MICHIGAN United Way earned scores of 100 in both our Financial Rating and Accountability and Transparency Rating. Less than 1% of the thousands of charities Charity Navigator rates earn perfect scores.
We’re excited to share this rating because we know the work we accomplish with our nonprofit partners makes a life-changing difference to thousands of people every year. Charity Navigator’s recognition of that work reiterates our commitment to creating a more equitable, thriving West Michigan.
“When you give to United Way, we know it takes a level of trust,” said Van Dyke. “Our constituents can be confident that their support is the most effective way to drive long-term change that benefits everyone in our community.”