Seven Alberta Charities Make Top Picks List of Canadian Charities
Charity analysts give "strong buy" to seven Alberta charities, encourage donors to engage in more performance-based giving
CALGARY, Nov. 10 /CNW/ - Charity Intelligence, a Canadian registered charity that helps donors make informed and intelligent giving decisions today released its 5th annual charity Top Picks report, identifying thirty-six outstanding Canadian charities, seven of which are Alberta-based. Charities are selected through a rigorous assessment process, similar to investment research to identify strong investment buys. Starting with financial analysis and due diligence, charity analysts undertake management interviews to drill down to the charity's "theory of change", and measure its outputs and outcomes. Finally through national benchmarking relative to similar charities across Canada, Top Pick charities are identified which have potentially high social returns on donations.
"These outstanding charities have distinguished themselves through their operations, strong management, efficiency and, most importantly, their 'bottom-line results' in helping Canadians, making them national leaders in their work. For donors who are looking for the best outcomes for their giving, these charities deserve strong consideration - and donations," says Kate Bahen, Managing Director of Charity Intelligence. "Charity Intelligence's findings are designed to help donors identify those charities that are achieving top results in helping people in need."
The Alberta charities that are on Ci's "Top Picks" List include:
Calgary Food Bank, one of Canada's largest charities distributing over $27 million worth of food to people who come to its doors, local service agencies and rural food banks across Alberta. Administrative costs are 1.6% of its charity value and fundraising costs are 5.1% of donations. Ci Top Pick since 2007.
Edmonton Food Bank, Canada's first food bank collected and distributed over $14 million worth of food to over 190 local charities, churches throughout the Edmonton area. For every dollar donated, Edmonton Food Bank delivers $6 of food. Administrative costs are 2.4% of its charity value and fundraising costs are 11.8% of donations. Ci Top Pick since 2009.
Fresh Start Recovery provides addiction treatment for homeless and marginalized men with an improving recovery rate of 41%, exceeding the national average recovery rate of around 10%. Fresh Start's program costs are under $4,600 for each of the 159 men it helped, with administrative costs of 2.8% of its charity value and fundraising costs 2.9% of donations. Ci Top Pick since 2007.
Inn from the Cold provides emergency shelter specializing in homeless families, children and seniors, providing shelter to 11,395 guests and helped 103 families get sustainable housing within 24 days. Its administrative costs are 11.1% of its charity value and fundraising costs are 14.6% of donations. Ci Top Pick since 2009.
Momentum Community Economic Development helped 4,252 of Calgary's poor through teaching financial literacy, skills training, and asset building, including savings accounts and home purchases. Momentum also provides a micro-lending program to start new businesses. Momentum's administrative costs are 10.2% of its charity value and fundraising costs are 9.8% of donations. NEW Ci Top Pick 2010.
Potential Place is a 'clubhouse' whose members suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar and other significant mental illnesses. Potential Place supported 27 members to live independently and 85% of its members gain meaningful employment with caring Calgary companies. Potential Place's administrative costs are 9.2% of its charity value with no fundraising costs. Ci Top Pick since 2009.
Simon House is another leading addiction treatment centre working with 106 men with a 43% recovery rate. Its program costs just under $7,300 for each man, administrative costs are 6.4% of its charity value and fundraising costs are 1.3% of donations. NEW Ci Top Pick 2010.
"Acting for donors by doing their in depth analytical research and then publishing this critical information places Charity Intelligence at the forefront of helping to guide social capital to the most effective and innovative non-profit enterprises," says Calgary's Mike Skrypnek, Director Wealth Management, Richardson GMP Limited and Author of Philanthropy; An Inspired Process. "Placing added pressure on increasing financial transparency and raising the standards by which charities demonstrate their attractiveness to donors will have a positive long term effect as more organizations strive to attract the ever increasing flow of capital from philanthropic private hands to the public trust."
Charity Intelligence is a charity that helps donors. It undertakes independent and objective research and analysis of Canadian charities to help donors make informed and intelligent giving decisions that have the highest impact for Canadians in need. Charity Intelligence has assessed over 320 Canadian charities, measuring their efficiency and effectiveness in helping Canadians in need. Any Canadian donor can request a report on a charity which Charity Intelligence provides for free. The full report on Ci's Top Picks 2010 is available for download at www.charityintelligence.ca
For further information: For further information:
contact Joni Avram, Cause&Effect Marketing -[email protected]or 403.617.5496
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