The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned the non-profit museum a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the second time CBMM has earned this top distinction in the last eighteen months.
Since 2002, using objective analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These Accountability & Transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders. On June 1, 2016, Charity Navigator upgraded its methodology for rating each charity’s financial health with CN 2.1, further substantiating the financial health of the evaluator’s four star charities.
“The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds CBMM to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support CBMM.”
“It’s important our donors trust that we’re using their donations wisely to inspire and educate future stewards of the Chesapeake Bay,” said CBMM President Kristen Greenaway. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters our good governance and financial accountability.”
CBMM’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on charitynavigator.org. More-detailed information about CBMM’s rating is available at no charge to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users at bit.ly/CBMMcharitynavigator.
Charity Navigator is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data.
Established in 1965, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a world-class maritime museum dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and people of the entire Chesapeake Bay, with the values of relevancy, authenticity, and stewardship guiding its mission. Serving more than 75,000 guests each year, CBMM’s campus includes a floating fleet of historic boats and 12 exhibition buildings, situated in a park-like, waterfront setting along the Miles River and St. Michaels harbor. Charitable gifts to CBMM’s annual fund enable CBMM to educate and inspire the next generation of Chesapeake Bay stewards, and can be made online at cbmm.org/donate