2006-2018 Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating
Hands Together has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent evaluator of charities, every fiscal year since 2006. According to Charity Navigator:
"Attaining a 4-star rating verifies that Hands Together exceeds industry standards...this is our highest possible rating and indicates that your organization adheres to sector best practices and executes its mission in a financially efficient way. Only 14% of the charities we evaluate have received at least three consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Hands Together outperforms most charities in America in its efforts to operate in the most fiscally responsible way possible. This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets Hands Together from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness."
Click here to see HT's exceptional rating from Charity Navigator
Click here to read Charity Navigator's letter to HT 2018
We prayerfully use every gift in a prudent manner. We dedicate ourselves to using each and every donation for our simple mission of outreach to the people of Haiti. Our goal is not to grow in size, but to most effectively help the poor. We do not use professional fund-raising services and we limit mailings to 1-2 per year. When we can afford to, we send out an informational newsletter to update donors on our work.
Volunteer and In-Kind Donations
To make the most of every donation, we utilize volunteer help and donated goods and services whenever possible. We employ only an executive director, a full-time office manager, and a small part-time office staff. Fr. Tom Hagan takes no salary for his full-time work and commitment to Hands Together. Much of our needed printing, office supplies and medicine are donated by corporations and individuals.
Donor Relations
We adhere to the following guidelines with respect to individuals, corporations and foundations who offer us their support:
Our Donors have certain rights.
The right to be aware of Hands Together's mission and purpose
The right to know Hands Together's officers and members of the Board of Directors and expect each of them act with the greatest transparency, integrity and discernment when implementing the organization's mission and purpose for the best interests of the community
The right to view Hands Together's recent annual financial statements
The right to know how donations, directly or indirectly contributed to the organization, are distributed, and to be assured that donated funds are used as intended by the donor -- If Hands Together cannot honor a donor request, the donor will receive a clear explanation as to why
The right to confidentiality regarding personal information and facts about donations
The right to expect that Hands Together will never share or sell a mailing list which includes the donor's name
The right to ask questions of Hands Together and expect prompt, truthful and complete answers in an easily understandable way
Hands Together reserves the right to decline any contributions not in keeping with our mission or that put unreasonable demands on our limited resources.