August 17 – RespectAbility is proud to announce that its strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency has earned a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator. This rating designates RespectAbility as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that our organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria. Charity Navigator is America’s largest and most-utilized independent charity evaluator. Since 2001, the organization has been an unbiased and trusted source of information for more than 11 million donors annually.
Charity Navigator analyzes nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, referred to as beacons. Currently, nonprofits can earn scores for Impact & Results, Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, and Leadership & Adaptability.
“We are delighted to provide RespectAbility with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that RespectAbility is able to accomplish in the years ahead.”
“Our Four-Star Charity Navigator rating is further validation that our supporters can trust our commitment to good governance and financial health,” said Ariel Simms, RespectAbility President and CEO. “This rating couldn’t come at a better time, as RespectAbility celebrates its first decade of success this year as an organization. We hope this rating will highlight our good work to new supporters who can help us advance our mission to fight stigmas and advance opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community for many years to come.”
At RespectAbility, we believe in a theory of change that guides our work toward achieving our goals. We focus on three core areas:
- Creating more diverse, authentic, and accurate portrayals of disabled people in media
- Promoting best practices in employment, civic engagement, and access
- Strengthening a talent pipeline of disabled people
“We are honored to be recognized by Charity Navigator for our work in Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, and Leadership & Adaptability,” said Linda L. Burger, RespectAbility Board Chair. “As RespectAbility enters a new decade of advocating for inclusion and equal opportunities, we will continue to break down barriers, fight stigmas, and create a society where everyone can thrive and participate in all aspects of the community.”
RespectAbility’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on charitynavigator.org.
About RespectAbility
RespectAbility is a diverse, disability-led nonprofit that works to create systemic change in how society views and values people with disabilities, and that advances policies and practices that empower people with disabilities to have a better future. Our mission is to fight stigmas and advance opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
RespectAbility knows that most people with disabilities can and want to fully participate in – and contribute to – all aspects of society. RespectAbility shifts narratives and creates progress by centering people with lived disability experience in leadership roles, ensuring authentic representation in entertainment and news media, advancing successful public policy, and pushing for faith-based and other inclusion. RespectAbility’s core programmatic areas are Entertainment and News Media, Faith Inclusion and Belonging, Leadership and Workforce Development, and Policy and Civic Engagement.
