Camp Sunshine Receives Highest Rank among Maine Charities for Sound Fiscal Management and Transparency from Nation’s Leading Charity Evaluator

Charity Navigator awards top 4-star rating to Camp Sunshine and 11 other Maine charities

CASCO (August 28, 2013) – Camp Sunshine has received a coveted 4-star rating and the highest overall score among Maine charities for fiscal management, oversight and transparency from Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading charity evaluator.

Camp Sunshine is a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Casco, Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Charity Navigator each year conducts an unbiased data-driven analysis of financial information of non-profit organizations across the nation to help donors determine which organizations to support.

This year marks Camp Sunshine’s third consecutive top 4-star rating – a distinction achieved by only 10 percent of the charities evaluated by Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org).

“Camp Sunshine outperforms most other charities in America,” said Ken Berger, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Camp Sunshine from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”

Camp Sunshine’s overall score, as of August 28, ranked first among the list of 12 Maine non-profits that received Charity Navigator’s top 4-star rating. Other Maine non-profits achieving a 4-star rating: Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor), Maine Community Foundation (Ellsworth), Environment Northeast (Rockport), Friends of Acadia (Bar Harbor), Preble Street (Portland), Bay Chamber Concerts (Rockport),  Animal Welfare Society (West Kennebunk), Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (Salisbury Cove), Island Institute (Rockland), Maine Sea Coast Mission (Bar Harbor), and Bates College (Lewiston).

“Camp Sunshine is proud to have again earned this highest rating by Charity Navigator,” said Matthew M. Hoidal, Esq., Executive Director at Camp Sunshine. “Since our inception nearly 30 years ago, our board has always placed the highest value on fiscal responsibility and accountability in addition to the primary focus of maintaining a comfortable, safe environment for the children and families that we serve.”

Camp Sunshine operates year-round on the shores of beautiful Sebago Lake and provides week-long respites at no charge to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The camp offers the only program in the nation whose sole mission is to address the impact of cancer, kidney disease, lupus and other life-threatening illnesses on every member of the immediate family. The program includes 24-hour onsite medical and psychosocial support. While attending the various sessions, families are able to rebuild relationships together and meet other families facing similar challenges.

Camp Sunshine relies on donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to carry out its mission. In a competitive philanthropic marketplace, potential donors are demanding fiscal accountability and rely on Charity Navigator to identify worthy charities to support.

Charity Navigator evaluates 10 times more charities than its nearest competitor and attracts more visitors to its website than all other charity rating groups combined, according to Berger.

Charity Navigator evaluates Financial Health, which examines how a charity manages its finances day to day and how financially well-positioned it is to sustain its programs over time, as well as Accountability & Transparency, which tracks metrics such as whether the charity has an effective governance structure and whether it shares basic information with donors and other stakeholders.

For more information about Camp Sunshine’s programs and to learn more about volunteering or making a donation, visit the camp’s website at www.campsunshine.org, or call (207) 655-3800.

About Camp Sunshine

Camp Sunshine offers children with life-threatening illnesses and their families a place to relax together for a week, and to take a break from the extraordinary demands placed upon them on a daily basis. The year-round program is free of charge and staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It is the only program in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family — the ill child, the parents and the siblings. Since its inception in 1984, Camp Sunshine has provided a haven for more than 32,000 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. In addition to providing 24-hour on-site medical and psychosocial support, the camp offers a variety of daily activities, including swimming, boating, archery and soccer, and special events such as bonfires and cookouts. To support Camp Sunshine, call (207) 655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.

About Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of nearly 6,300 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America's charitable givers. Based in Glen Rock, N.J., Charity Navigator can be reached at (201) 818-1288 or www.charitynavigator.org.

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