TULSA, Okla. – The Sustainability Alliance is a recipient of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits’ Seal of Excellence for successfully completing their rigorous Standards for Excellence accreditation program.
The Sustainability Alliance voluntarily opened itself up to analysis by a “jury of its peers.” The peer review team examined The Sustainability Alliance for compliance with the Standards for Excellence®: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector, in areas including:
Mission, Strategy and Evaluation
Leadership: Board, Staff, and Volunteers
Legal Compliance and Ethics
Finance and Operations
Resource Development
Public Awareness, Engagement and Advocacy
The Sustainability Alliance is the second nonprofit organization in all of Oklahoma to achieve the accreditation, second to the Tulsa Area United Way.
The Standards for Excellence program evaluates fundamental values such as honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility and accountability, all of which are inherently important in the nonprofit world. The Sustainability Alliance’s programs and services, management, fundraising and financial practices were subjected to in-depth examination prior to earning accreditation.
Corey Wren Williams, Executive Director of the Sustainability Alliance said, “I am thrilled that The Sustainability Alliance has received the Seal of Excellence from the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. It is an honor for our organization to be accredited with this achievement and have met the high expectations that The Standards for Excellence Program requires for this achievement.”
The Standards for Excellence program is committed to raising the level of principled and responsible practices within the nonprofit sector. The program offers a model for organizations to implement in their operating plans so they can gain a deeper understanding of their effectiveness, improve their decision-making and minimize risks. Nonprofits that adhere to the principles and practices of strong nonprofit management and governance can become formally accredited under the Standards for Excellence® program.
A recent university study of 102 nonprofit organizations that have received the Standards for Excellence accreditation compared with peer organizations of similar size and industry examined the impact of becoming accredited. Significant findings found that the process is associated with an increase in direct public support.
Researchers found that nonprofit organizations’ stakeholders will react positively to organizations earning the Standards for Excellence accreditation by allocating more resources to the nonprofit. The Standards for Excellence program provides a structured approach to improved operations and quality management, delivering years of benchmarking and best practices to organizations’ leadership, and a “Good Housekeeping” type seal of approval to outside stakeholders, indicating that the organization is performing as promised after comprehensive evaluation by practitioners and industry experts.
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