For the third year in a row, TC has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent evaluator of charities.

Receiving four out of four possible stars indicates that TC excels, as compared to other charities in America, in the area of strong fiscal management. This consistency in the College's rating is an exceptional feat, especially given the economic challenges all charities had to face in the last year.

"It is an honor to receive this 4-star designation from Charity Navigator. Any organization receiving private gifts and public funds should have a high level of accountability for use of those funds and overall fiscal management," said Joseph Brosnan, Vice President of Development and External Affairs. "Both our donors and academic programs deserve it, and it is nice to receive this recognition from an external agency."

The organization considers two factors in constructing and modifying our rating scales: industry standards and actual performance. First, they look at what industry experts say about the way charities should function financially. Second, they examine financial data and align rating scales to industry standards and then adjust them based on how charities actually function. In all cases, the 4-star rating scales correspond to their rubric. For example, four stars exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause.

Charity Navigator works to guide intelligent giving. They help charitable givers make intelligent giving decisions by providing information on over 2,700 charities and by evaluating the financial health of each of these charities. They ensure that evaluations are widely used by making them easy to understand and freely available to the public. By guiding intelligent giving, Charity Navigator aims to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic market place, in which givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome our nation's most persistent challenges.

Published Friday, Sep. 3, 2004