Charity Watchdog Group Says Houston Tops National List for High Performing Nonprofits

Houston’s largest charities mark the city as the leading one in the nation for financial fitness and transparency. This is according to a new study by Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator. Led no doubt by a stronger economy in Houston relative to other cities, (and perhaps also fear of Channel 13’s Wayne Dolcefino showing up at their door) our leading charities exemplified the finest qualities studied among the top 5,500 nonprofits in the country.

In its 2012 Metro Market Study, Charity Navigator compared the median performance and size of the largest nonprofits in the 30 largest metropolitan markets in the US. In total these local markets account for 56% of the 5,500 charities evaluated by Charity Navigator and they generate 67% of the total revenue and 67% total spending.  The study revealed that regional factors, such as the cost of living, a market’s maturity and a city’s tendency to support one or two specialized causes, greatly influence the ability of the charities in each city to raise money, manage costs as well as their adherence to good governance policies and procedures.

In terms of their overall Financial Health and commitment to Accountability & Transparency, the study’s highest and lowest rated charitable communities are seen in the table on the right.

Houston was number one in annual program growth and in keeping administrative expenses low among the various metric measured, and appears in the top five in 12 other categories studied. And although this is the first time that the study has ranked Houston at number 1 overall, Charity Navigator Vice President, Sandra Miniutti, notes “Houston has never fallen below 4th place.”