The Boothbay Region YMCA’s sound fiscal management practices and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the second time that the Boothbay Region YMCA has earned this top distinction in the last six years.

“The Boothbay Region YMCA’s coveted 4-star rating puts it in a very select group of high-performing charities,” according to Michael Thatcher, president and CEO of Charity Navigator. “Out of the thousands of nonprofits Charity Navigator evaluates, only one out of four earns 4 stars — a rating that demands rigor, responsibility and commitment to openness. The Boothbay Region YMCA’s supporters should feel confident that their hard-earned dollars are being used efficiently and responsibly when it acquires such a high rating.”

“It’s important that our members, donors, and the broader community trusts that we’re using our funding wisely to accomplish our mission to strengthen the community,” said Andy Hamblett, executive director of the Boothbay Region YMCA. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates that we take our fiduciary and governance responsibilities very seriously in order to maximize our impact in the community.”

The 4-star rating is a proof point for the Boothbay Region YMCA’s organizational strategy to create a healthy mix of funding to assure sustainability and ensure that the Y is accessible to all in the community. The YMCA delivers programs and services that impact thousands of people in the Boothbay Region by promoting youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

Since 2002, using objective, data-driven 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 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.

The YMCA’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org.