Nathan asks: +++++++++
I'm curious what importance you attach to the Charity Navigator rating, and how you think it is (or should be) relevant to the operations of the WMF. Care to explain? +++++++++ Thank you for asking, Nathan. As always, I am eager to provide a prompt and direct response to questions, though that is not standard practice in some circles. I make charitable gifts each year that typically total between $3,000 and $5,000. Some of my strict rules for charitable giving include (1) don't ever give on the basis of only a telephone solicitation or an in-person intercept, and (2) don't ever give without first looking up the organization on both GuideStar and Charity Navigator. If another organization can be found that serves a similar need, but is doing so more efficiently with its dollars, then my donation goes to that organization, and other less stringent donors are free to fling their money at a more inefficient organization. For example, to help further the cause of truth and knowledge on the Internet, this year I made a donation to ProCon.org: http://www.procon.org/aboutus.asp#Financial ...even though it was not yet listed in Charity Navigator, I could still make a decision in part because I appreciated that 87% of their expenses were spent on program services, as opposed to 66% at the Wikimedia Foundation. Therefore, for me, GuideStar and Charity Navigator are important tools for me to help decide where my charitable contributions will be directed in a given year. How about you? How do you attach importance to various ways that independent organizations might put non-profits to an impartial test? Do you care how efficient a charitable organization is? After all, I co-founded a non-profit organization, and I serve on the board of another, so maybe I am polarized too far to the "accountability" end of the spectrum. You may not be aware of the stories behind the Deputy Sheriffs' Fraternal Organization or the Wishing Well Foundation, but I would be sick to my stomach if I found that I had donated money to such an organization, only to discover that they spend less than 20% of revenues on program services. With the Wikimedia Foundation having recently spent only 31.6% of revenues on program services, I dare to say they are closer, on a true percentage basis on the books, to organizations like the Deputy Sheriffs' Fraternal Organization or the Wishing Well Foundation than they are to ProCon.org and the Red Cross. Greg _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
