December 7, 2011
Letters to the Editor
The Arizona Republic
P.O. Box 1950
Phoenix, AZ 85001.
Dear Editorial Staff:
While we always appreciate stories about Arizona nonprofits and the ever growing need for donations, we were disappointed to see that Russ Wiles’ story which ran Sunday, Dec. 4 and included information on charity rankings was incomplete. Eleven Arizona nonprofits were omitted from the list of 4-star rated charities, the highest rating available from Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator.
We’re bringing this to your attention because several of the omitted nonprofits have little or no budget for marketing and advertising, which means every media mention is appreciated and considered an opportunity to engage with potential donors. Additionally, as non-profits we must work very hard to earn the prestigious 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.
According to Guidestar.org there are 31,903 charities in Arizona, of which all but 281 have budgets under $10,000,000. Smaller charities account for 99 percent of nonprofits in Arizona and serve a very important purpose in helping those in need. Unfortunately, many Arizonans never hear enough about nonprofits such as Esperança or Child Crisis Center because our operating budgets are small. However, we are also in need of donations and appreciate contributions at any level. A small donation small or midsize nonprofit is significant and appreciated, and a larger donation can be transformational.
Hopefully in the future, you will consider inclusion of smaller nonprofits as well and help educate readers about the wide variety of wonderful charitable organizations in Arizona, not just those with the most recognizable names
Attached is the complete list of 4-star charities in Arizona: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.results&overallrtg=4&stid=50
Sincerely,
Tom Egan
Esperança, CEO
Christine Scarpati
Child Crisis Center, CEO