Smoky Mountain Children’s Home Earns Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating

Shane Smith, director of Business and Records for Smoky Mountain Children’s Home, announced that the local children’s home has once again received a prestigious award: the 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. The award further verifies sound fiscal management practices and commitment to accountability and transparency. Smith went on to say that it is “an honor for Smoky Mountain Children’s Home to earn such a distinction, proving the institutions financial integrity.”

Since 2002, using objective 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 operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders.

“On June 1, 2016, we upgraded our methodology for rating each charity’s’ financial health with CN 2.1. These enhancements further substantiates the financial health of our four star charities,” reported Michael Thatcher, president & CEO of Charity Navigator.

“Smoky Mountain Children’s Home’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” said Thatcher. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds Smoky Mountain Children’s Home to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support Smoky Mountain Children’s Home.”

“It’s important our donors trust that we’re using their contributions wisely to accomplish the goal of caring for children and youth,” said Dr. Walt Mauldin, executive director. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters our good governance and financial accountability.”

Smoky Mountain Children’s Home’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org. More-detailed information about Smoky Mountain Children’s Home’s rating is available to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users, which is a free service.

Photo: Smoky Mountain Children’s Home Senior Administrative Team, Front Row – Tammy Mauldin, Dr. Walt Mauldin, Dr. Wade Horton, Shane Smith, Back Row – Dr. Coleman Peacock, Linda Loyd, Beverly Beard, Marvin Amos