WINGS for Kids receives highest rating from Charity Navigator

Closing out 2011 on a high note, local non-profit WINGS for Kids received the highest rating from Charity Navigator. They also decided to expand nationally with the help of a $1 million commitment and will be the host site of a $2.8 million impact study conducted by the University of Virginia in collaboration with the College of Charleston.

WINGS received 4-stars, from America’s premier independent charity evaluator, Charity Navigator. The organization influences more than $10 billion of charitable donations each year. It uses a unique method of applying data-driven analysis with their philanthropic sector, which has been praised by Forbes, Business Week and Kiplinger’s Financial.

“WINGS is proud to be a fiscally responsible, high-performing non-profit,” said Bridget Laird, CEO of WINGS for kids. “We’re certainly excited to see respected charity evaluators, like Charity Navigator, recognizing our efforts.”

More than 5,000 charities are featured on the Charity Navigator site, and of those, less than a third are rated with 4-stars. A 4-star rating by their guidelines refers to a non-profit that is “exceptional: exceeding industry standards and outperforming most charities in its cause.” Ratings are determined by an evaluation of the charity’s organizational efficiency and organizational capacity.

Next year looks just as promising. January marks the beginning of WINGS’ national expansion, with Atlanta preliminarily pegged as the first city. It also signifies the beginning of the University of Virginia’s four-year study on WINGS. The study will measure the impact and effectiveness of the non-profit’s social and emotional education program.

To top it all off, WINGS’ staff and volunteers will ring in the New Year in their new office, fit for the expanding group. The year also marks their 15th anniversary.

“We’re thankful for the community support and outreach over the past 15 years,” said Laird. “I can’t wait for what 2012 has in store for our organization.”

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