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Animal Rescue League Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating From Charity Navigator

by Animal Rescue League of Berks County

Aug 05, 2021

The Animals Rescue League of Berks County’s (ARL) 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 second consecutive time that ARL has earned this top distinction.

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, we upgraded our methodology for rating each charity’s financial health with CN 2.1. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of our four-star charities.

“ARL’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” said Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds ARL to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support ARL.”

“Today’s world is saturated with nonprofits that address critically important issues, but the general public isn’t always equipped with the knowledge and expertise to know what measurements are used to determine if a charity is ethical in their decision making, good stewards of donor dollars, or are making a significant impact on the programmatic elements associated with their mission,” said Ashley Mikulsky, ARL’s Chief Development Officer. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters our good governance and financial accountability.”

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