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 White Plains, NY - The YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester announced that the New York Better Business Bureau has renewed the Y’s certification for charitable accountability, indicating that the group meets or exceeds the Better Business Bureau’s rigorous standards for fiscal responsibility, transparency and oversight.
This was the third consecutive year the Better Business Bureau certified the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester’s activities, a step that comes after conducting a thorough review of 20 criteria assessing the organization’s finances and spending. The YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester includes the White Plains Family YMCA, the Mount Vernon Family YMCA, the Community YMCA of Northern Westchester in Somers and the Camp Combe YMCA in Putnam Valley.
“We are one of only a handful of charities in Westchester County to receive this certification for sound management, visibility and transparency,” said Bob Lapp, the YMCA’s president and CEO. “This evaluation by a respected third party should assure our donors that their money will be well-spent and benefit the communities served.”
The YMCA receives approximately $923,000 a year in donations from individuals, foundations and businesses, part of the charity’s $8 million annual budget. (Childcare fees, day-camp tuitions, residence fees, membership dues and other program fees account for the rest of the budget.) Roughly $300,000 of the budget is used to provide scholarships to people who otherwise are not able to afford the YMCA’s program fees.
Among the key financial figures included in the YMCA’s report to the Better Business Bureau are:
The YMCA-CNW spent 87.9 percent of its budget on programming and service delivery, compared to the BBB’s minimum for certification of 65 percent.
Only 1.5 percent of the total budget, or 12.9 percent of related contributions, was used for fundraising, compared to the BBB’s limit of 35 percent.
Only 10.6 percent of the YMCA’s budget was spent on administration and overhead, significantly below the national average.
“The YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester received the BBB’s highest rating and is among the most efficient charities in the metro region when measured against the more than 700 organizations that voluntarily submit information about their financial activities, governance and fundraising methods,” said Lapp. “Charities like the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester rely on the generosity of their donors to fund the services they provide and to address human welfare, health-and-nutrition education and other community needs.”
The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance Standards for Charity Accountability were developed to help donors make sound decisions and to foster public confidence in charitable organizations. “The standards seek to encourage fair and honest solicitation practices, to promote ethical conduct by charitable organizations and to advance support of philanthropy,” according to the BBB.
The reviews are conducted by the New York Philanthropic Advisory Service, a subsidiary of the Better Business Bureau. The charities must have financial records that are prepared under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and are available for outside review by donors and other interested parties.
The Standards for Charity Accountability were written with professional and technical assistance from representatives of small and large charitable organizations, the accounting profession, grant-making foundations, corporate-contributions officers, regulatory agencies, research organizations and the BBB. The full report and the BBB standards are available on the YMCA’s Web site at www.ymca-cnw,org. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance also commissioned significant independent research on donor expectations to ensure that the views of the general public were reflected in the standards.
“The YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester takes it responsibility to use donations very seriously and the Better Business Bureau’s certification is an important recognition of the success of our prudent fiscal stewardship,” said Lapp. “We are about to launch a new capital program to improve our facilities throughout Westchester County and introduce new programs, and we hope this certification will let potential donors know their contributions will be used to provide the maximum benefit to our community.”
About The YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester
Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester has a long history of being an important community resource. The YMCA is dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone through programs and services that stress personal growth, self-improvement, self-reliance and service to others through mental, physical and spiritual development. The YMCA is one of Westchester’s largest childcare providers, serving 1,200 children who are able to build skills, values, self-esteem and a lifelong love of learning in a safe, nurturing, developmentally oriented environment. A similar number of children attend the YMCA’s summer camps. Health and wellness programs and well-equipped fitness centers and pools serve people of all ages.
The YMCA also provides safe, clean workforce housing for 200 men who otherwise might not be able to live and work in Westchester County. The YMCA has received the top charitable organizational standards rating from the New York Better Business Bureau for meeting the BBB’s extremely rigorous Standards for Charitable Accountability. The YMCA provides more than $300,000 in annual financial subsidies to ensure that all people can benefit from its services. In addition to its flagship center in White Plains, the YMCA of CNW also has facilities in Mount Vernon, N.Y., the Northern Westchester Community program, based in Somers, N.Y., as well as Camp Combe, a summer camp for children in Putnam Valley, N.Y.
More information about the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester, including addresses, hours and activities listings, is available at its website www.ymca-cnw.org or by calling (914) 287-2021.
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