Camp Fire USA Named One Of America's 100 Best Charities By Worth Magazine

Camp Fire Boys and Girls
Monday, 14 January 2002

Camp Fire USA, one of the nation's leading youth development organizations, has been named one of America's 100 Best Charities in the December 2001 issue of Worth magazine.

Recognized for providing 92 years of all-inclusive, coeducational programs for youth, Camp Fire USA was honored in the category of "Best Human Service Charities." Those charities honored on Worth's list provide a wide range of services, yet all work tirelessly to address the needs of America's diverse population.

As does Camp Fire USA, many of the chosen human services charities serve not just the child, but the entire family. In particular, Camp Fire USA's new flagship program - Community Family Club - brings communities together by encouraging parents to participate in small-group programs with their children. With flexibility in mind, the program can be delivered anywhere: schools, churches, businesses and day and resident camps. Camp Fire believes that, in building strong collaborations with community partners, we'll fulfill our mission and strengthen today's families.

According to Worth, a charity is selected to the top 100 list only after convincing editors of the worthiness of its organizational goal and the success towards its mission. Worth reports that "readers can feel comfortable giving money to any of the 100 exceptional organizations that [made the list]."

"It is a great honor to be recognized for the work that our organization performs with America's youth," said Stewart J. Smith, Camp Fire USA National CEO. "This classification can assure families of the quality of Camp Fire programs and donors that their gifts will be well invested in building caring, confident youth and future leaders."

To produce its list of the 100 best charities, Worth examined over three years' worth of tax returns, annual reports and statements of individual charities - as well as the latest charity ratings from organizations such as the Better Business Bureau and the American Institute of Philanthropy - to determine which charities are putting donors' money to work efficiently. The magazine required that all of the charities under consideration be national in scope, as well as substantially secular, nonpolitical and well established.

Worth then averaged the three years' worth of data to calculate the percentage of donations that each charity directs to programs, fundraising, administration and future reserves. The list, available at www.worth.com, represents these percentages as dollar amounts per $100 contribution. This breakdown illuminates how a charity operates, but comparisons are best made among organizations with similar missions.

At the national level, Camp Fire USA directs 84 percent of contributions directly into programming, while spending only 13 percent on administration expenses.

Camp Fire USA is one of the nation's leading not-for-profit youth development organizations, serving over 650,000 participants annually. Founded in 1910, Camp Fire, with national headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, provides all-inclusive, coeducational programs in hundreds of communities across the United States. Camp Fire USA's mission is to build caring, confident youth and future leaders. By design, Camp Fire's programs, including small group experiences, after school programs, camping and environmental education, child care and service learning, build confidence in younger children and provide hands-on, youth-driven leadership experiences for older youth.

For more information, or to contact Camp Fire Boys and Girls, see their website at: www.campfire.org