The sound fiscal management practices and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned Habitat for Humanity Jacksonville, Inc. (HabiJax) a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.

“HabiJax’s coveted 4-star rating puts it in a very select group of high-performing charities,” according to Ken Berger, President and CEO, Charity Navigator. “Out of the thousands of nonprofits Charity Navigator evaluates, only one out of four earns 4 stars — a rating that, now, with our new Accountability and Transparency metrics, demands even greater rigor, responsibility and commitment to openness.  HabiJax’s supporters should feel much more confident that their hard-earned dollars are being used efficiently and responsibly when it acquires such a high rating.”

Since 2002, using data-driven analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added a second dimension of Accountability and Transparency (A&T) to its rating methodology, and now reviews 17 governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, providing information on its web site for each of the charities it evaluates.  The A&T metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities have “best practices” that minimize the chance of unethical activities and whether they freely share basic information about their organization with their donors and other stakeholders.

“In the current economic environment, it’s important our donors trust that we’re using our funding wisely to accomplish our mission,” said HabiJax President and CEO Mary Kay O’Rourke. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to HabiJax supporters that we take our fiduciary and governance responsibilities very seriously.”

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