Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama proudly announces Coosa Riverkeeper is the latest the Standards for Excellence® Accredited Organization in Alabama
“We’re the FIRST Waterkeeper Alliance member in the nation and ONLY environmental non-profit in Alabama to earn this national non-profit governance, management, and operations accreditation. It took us 2+ years to adopt policies, gather application materials and go through the review process— and we could not be more proud to receive this recognition and acknowledgment of our commitment to non-profit excellence at all levels of our organization.” -Justinn Overton, Executive Director
Justinn Overton, Executive Director of Coosa Riverkeeper, and Jennifer Maddox, CEO of Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama after Standards for Excellence recognition ceremony.
So, what is Standards for Excellence? Standards for Excellence® is a national initiative designed to promote the highest standards of not-for-profit organization governance, management, and operations.Standards for Excellence accredited organizations participate in an intensive three-stage independent review process that confirms they meet all the benchmarks in the Standards for Excellence code.A strong not-for-profit sector is a collaborative one made up of organizations that effectively manage operations and high-performing programs based on community need. This requires knowledgeable and capable staff, strong leadership, value for innovation, a clear vision and a plan. Effective, sustainable programs are the result of strong organizations. Through our work with area not-for-profit organizations we have been able to identify key factors that drive an organization’s success. A few of those factors include: board and staff engagement; sound fiscal health; mission-driven operations; and, of course, commitment to excellence. Learn more here.
Jennifer S. Maddox, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama says, “Coosa Riverkeeper, Inc.® is the most recent not-for-profit organization in Calhoun County service area to receive the Standards for Excellence national accreditation successfully completing their rigorous accreditation program. Not-for-profits contribute significantly to the cultural, social and economic landscape. It is imperative that not-for-profits of all sizes be effective, efficient, credible and transparent as they strive to meet critical community needs. Standards for Excellence® provides the tools and templates that enable not-for-profit organizations to improve their policies and practices while maintaining a focus on meeting their mission.”
