AmeriCares Rated No 1. in Chronicle of Philanthropy Survey

AmeriCares Foundation
Thursday, 31 October 2002

AmeriCares has been ranked No. 1 among U.S. agencies operating internationally in the Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual survey, which rates the nation's largest nonprofit groups by how much money they raise from private donors. Among all 400 U.S.-based organizations - including those operating only domestically - AmeriCares climbed 42 percent to No. 12 from No. 20.

The ranking appears in the twice-monthly newspaper's 11th annual Top 400 survey for the 2001 fiscal year. The report characterized the period as "a lackluster year for giving," calculating that while donations to the largest charities in 2001 actually rose 5.15 percent (adjusting for inflation) that followed four consecutive years of double-digit growth.

In a front-page article embellished by a photo of a volunteer in an AmeriCares t-shirt, AmeriCares was identified "among the winners."

Stacy Palmer, the editor of the Chronicle of Philanthrophy, told a New York Times reporter: "It's a remarkable accomplishment. It was a very hard year."

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's evaluation also placed AmeriCares among the forefront of nonprofits that effectively employ "a strategy . . . to invite donors to see firsthand the fruits of their contributions." Referring to AmeriCares' annual Hangar Party at the Westchester County Airport in New York, the Chronicle noted the dinner-dance drew 375 people and raised about $150,000 for the charity.

For more information, or to contact AmeriCares Foundation, see their website at: www.americares.org