United Way Serving Redding Earns Coveted 4-Star Nonprofit Rating

DANBURY, Conn. -- The United Way of Western Connecticut has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.

Kim Morgan, CEO of United Way of Western Connecticut, said the recent 4-star rating the organization received from Charity Navigator demonstrates that the organization take its fiduciary and governance responsibilities seriously.
Photo Credit: *File*

K Reakes

11/17/2015 5:00 a.m.

UWWC earned the top distinction because it uses donor dollars to advance its mission in a fiscally responsible way, said Michael Thatcher, president and CEO of Charity Navigator.

“United Way of Western Connecticut’s coveted 4-star rating puts it in a very select group of high-performing charities,” said Thatcher. “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. UWWC’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.”

Kim Morgan, CEO of the United Way of Western Connecticut, said that it’s important donors trust that the organization is using funding wisely to improve lives by mobilizing caring communities to solve complex problems.

“Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters that we take our fiduciary and governance responsibilities very seriously,” Morgan added.

The United Way of Western Connecticut serves 15 communities, including Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield and Stamford.

“UWWC has a responsibility to respect our donors’ support by dedicating their dollars in the most impactful and transparent manner in greater Danbury, greater New Milford and the City of Stamford,” said Cindy Merkle, Chair of UWWC’s Board of Directors, and President and CEO of Union Savings Bank. “Our Board of Directors takes great pride in the governance and oversight of the organization to ensure the utmost fiscal responsibility and ethics.”

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.

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