Timucuan Parks Foundation has received a 100/100 “Give With Confidence” Rating from Charity Navigator

The Encompass Rating allows donors to feel confident the nonprofit is using their contribution effectively

Timucuan Parks Foundation has received a top rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most-utilized independent charity evaluator. The nonprofit supporter of local parks and preserves earned a 100/100 rating from Charity Navigator’s new Encompass Rating System which was designed to provide a rating for smaller nonprofits. TPF received the highest mark for its strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency. The score designates TPF as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating the organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria.

“We are very proud to receive this designation that helps affirm to our donors that they can trust that every dime they give us is being used correctly to support our mission,” said Mark Middlebrook, executive director of TPF. “We are grateful to Charity Navigator for adding this new rating system so smaller nonprofits, like us, can receive a rating from this respected organization. Hopefully, this will also help introduce our work to new supporters.”

Since 2001, Charity Navigator has been an unbiased and trusted source of information for more than 8.5 million users annually. They recently added the Encompass Rating to increase the number of nonprofits that it evaluates from 9,000 to 160,000 as of July 2020. The organization did so to be more inclusive of smaller and more recently established nonprofits.

The Encompass Rating system, a comprehensive evaluation tool, uses technology-supported automation to analyze electronic tax forms filed annually by 501(c)(3) organizations. It uses four key indicators to analyze a nonprofit’s performance. The first, Finance & Accountability, was released in July. The system looked at nonprofits’ fiscal responsibility by using five metrics: Program Expense Ratio, Independent Audit or Financial Review, Board Composition, Liabilities to Assets, and Website Listing. Additional indicators, rolling out in the next 18-24 months, are Impact & Results, Leadership & Adaptability, and Culture & Community.

“We are delighted that Timucuan Parks Foundation’s clear commitment to fiscal responsibility and transparency has earned it a ‘Give with Confidence’ designation,” said Michael Thatcher, president and CEO of Charity Navigator. “As one of the first 150,000 nonprofits evaluated by the Encompass Rating System, we are eager to see the good work that the organization is able to accomplish in the years ahead.”

TPF supports local city, state and national parks in northeast Florida through community programs, public education and outreach, and volunteer coordination. Through their efforts over the last 20 years, they have promoted the parks as places that instill a sense of place and sense of well-being for the community. TPF was also recently selected as a “2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit” by GreatNonprofits, a leading provider of user reviews of charities and nonprofits.

TPF’s Encompass rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on charitynavigator.org.

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