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The Mackinac Center’s financial health as well as its practices in accountability and transparency recently earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for the fourth consecutive year.
This is the highest rating given by the independent nonprofit organization that annually reviews and rates thousands of charities around the country.
The rating means that the Mackinac Center performed strongly on measures like assets compared to liabilities, percent of budget spent on administration, the independence of its board of directors and transparency.
While we’re glad to have praise from an independent organization like Charity Navigator, the Mackinac Center is far more interested in your opinion.
Charity “experts” come and go, and their ratings systems may change over time. Charity Navigator, for example, changed the way it rates fundraising costs after receiving criticism from nonprofits.
Charity evaluators sometimes withhold their highest award unless a nonprofit organization is willing to disclose more financial and donor information than the law requires — a practice that doesn’t match our principle of respecting donor privacy. In that case, we would prefer a lower rating over violating our core principles.
So while we understand the value that Charity Navigator offers, the Mackinac Center considers itself accountable not to their ratings, but to the law, to our board of directors and to you, our supporters.
Thank you again for your support. If you ever have questions about our work (or would like a copy of the report we file annually with the federal government), please feel free to contact Jim Walker, vice president of advancement, at 248-875-6582.
