United Ability Earns Coveted 4-Star Charity Navigator Rating
Media Contact
Jennifer Lyles Dowdle
205-492-0754
jdowdle@unitedability.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNITED ABILITY EARNS
COVETED 4-STAR RATING FROM CHARITY NAVIGATOR
(Birmingham, AL May 22) – United Ability’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned the organization a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the seventh consecutive time that United Ability (formerly UCP of Greater Birmingham) 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, Charity Navigator upgraded the methodology for rating each charity’s’ financial health with CN 2.1. These enhancements further substantiates the financial health of the four star charities.
“United Ability’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to 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 United Ability 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 United Ability.”
“It’s important our donors trust that we’re using their donations wisely to help individuals with disabilities live full and meaningful lives,” said United Ability CEO, Dr. Gary Edwards. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters our good governance and financial accountability.”
United Ability’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org. More detailed information about United Ability’s rating is available to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users, another free service.
About United Ability
United Ability provides state of the art programs designed to promote self-reliance, present choices and improve the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities. United Ability serves more than 3,100 children and adults with disabilities including but not limited to: cerebral palsy; spina bifida, autism; Down Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, limb loss/deficiency, closed head injuries, intellectual and developmental disabilities and more. Visit United Ability online at www.unitedability.org.