Books For Africa Celebrates International Literacy Day With Top Charity Navigator Rating
Books For Africa has received Charity Navigator’s 4-star rating for the sixth consecutive year, the highest possible rating. Charity Navigator is the country’s premiere charity evaluator and rates charities on sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency.
“Attaining a 4-star rating verifies that Books For Africa exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in your area of work,” Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator, wrote in a letter to Patrick Plonski, Executive Director of Books For Africa. “Only 5% of the charities we evaluate have received at least 6 consecutive 4-star evaluations.”
Thatcher said that the rating “indicates that your organization adheres to sector best practices and exectues its mission in a financially efficient way.”
BFA had an perfect overall rating of 100, with a financial rating of 100 and an accountability and transparency rating of 100. For more information see our Charity Navigator profile.
“We are very happy with our high rating from Charity Navigator,” Plonski said. “We are proud that Books For Africa has once again been able to serve the students and people of Africa by shipping during the past 12 months a record 3.1 million educational, library and law books to 18 different African countries. We hope to continue to expand our efforts in the years ahead.”
The books shipped this past fiscal year (ending June 30), are valued at $33 million. Books For Africa has also shipped 93 computers and e-readers containing 223,000 digital books, as well as 10 new law and human rights libraries.
Plonski noted that the Charity Navigator rating comes just before Books For Africa and other groups around the world are celebrating International Literacy Day on September 8, sponsored for the past 50 years by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
In honor of Literacy Day and its record-setting year, Books For Africa is holding a public warehouse party from noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 9, at its St. Paul warehouse, 635 Prior Ave. N., Suite 110, St. Paul. The party will feature African food and music by BFA’s own Warehouse Band and Ipsto Facto, Minnesota’s favorite reggae band. This event is free and open to the public, and the food and drinks are on us, so if you're in the Saint Paul area make sure to stop by!
