MWA once again recognized for financial transparency

Last week, Montana Wilderness Association received a sixth consecutive four-star rating from Charity Navigator, placing our organization in the top 7% of nonprofits nationwide according to the nonprofit watchdog’s rigorous standards for financial responsibility and transparency. 

As the nation’s largest nonprofit evaluator, Charity Navigator closely examines thousands of nonprofits across the country to determine their adherence to best practices for financial health, accountability, and transparency. This evaluation process, which has been widely praised by TIME Magazine, Forbes, and BusinessWeek, reveals how efficiently a charitable organization uses donations, how well it has sustained its programs and services over time, and how committed the organization is to accountability and transparency. 

Charity Navigator’s affirmation of MWA’s financial integrity is consistent with evaluations recently conducted by other nonprofit watchdogs. GuideStar, a watchdog that maintains a database of more than 2.7 million organizations, has awarded MWA a Gold Seal of Transparency for publicly disclosing our goals and strategies in addition to our financial information. 

Together, these ratings confirm what our members and supporters already understand: transparency and accountability are core values at MWA. Our mission is clear, our strategic direction is visible, our programs are widely publicized, our staff and board are accessible, and our financial information is available on our website. This information includes our annual report, our audited financial statement, and our form 990 for each of the last last six years. Importantly, MWA hires and pays for an independent auditor to conduct a deep dive on our finances every single year to ensure we’re meeting the highest standard for financial management.

Our mission, as it has been since 1958, is to work with communities across the great state of Montana to protect our wilderness heritage, quiet beauty, and outdoor traditions now and for future generations. We believe this work requires an enduring commitment to financial health, accountability, and transparency. We’re proud that Charity Navigator and GuideStar have taken notice of our efforts, and we look forward to carrying this commitment forward for generations to come.

– Gabriel Furshong, MWA deputy director