buildOn Achieves 4 Star Rating from Charity Navigator 9th Year in a Row

We are honored to be a part of the one percent of charities rated on Charity Navigator that have received a prestigious four star rating for the ninth year in a row. buildOn received this high ranking from the industry’s authority on rating nonprofits’ financial health for being committed to accountability and transparency, according to a letter we received from Ken Berger, Charity Navigator’s President and Chief Executive Officer. This exceptional rating indicates that we outperform most charities in the United States.

In 2012, we reported that buildOn is able to keep administrative costs low because of the culture of our workforce. We budget for an extremely low administration rate; trying to maintain overhead between three to five percent.

buildOn’s Chief Financial Officer, Stephanie Skryzowski, reviews all expenditures to ensure that we are using our resources in the most efficient manner. “I work with staff to analyze areas where we can cut costs without compromising the effectiveness of our programming,” she said.

In addition, buildOn receives in-kind support through donated goods and services. That includes our legal counsel from law firm Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP, and donated tickets to Malawi from British Airways for our students who go on their on “trek” to build schools. All of our regions, excluding New York, are housed in GE facilities; which gives us the advantage of saving on rent, printing, phones and IT support. Other programming staff work in office space provided by the schools where they work.

Charity Navigator looks at many factors when it grades charities annually. The criteria it evaluates us on are based on our Internal Revenue Service 990 tax return.

If you are a donor to buildOn and have worked with us, visit our profile on Charity Navigator and write a review about us today to inform other donors about how we do business.