United Way of Greater Lorain County recognized

United Way of Greater Lorain County on Oct. 24 earned the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar, the world’s largest source of nonprofit information, according to a media release.

By sharing in-depth metrics that highlight progress United Way of Greater Lorain County is making toward its mission, the local agency moves into the top one percent of the more than 1.8 million charities that are rated by GuideStar, the release said.

“Transparency is one of our core values and we’re excited to continue our long-held belief in being open about the work we do and how we do it,” United Way of Greater Lorain County Marketing and Development Director Ryan Aroney said in the release. “The Platinum Seal of Transparency shows our commitment to sharing upto-date organizational metrics.

“With GuideStar’s immense online audience — including donors, grantmakers, other nonprofits and the media — we’re able to convey our organization’s results in a userfriendly and highly visual manner.”

To reach the Platinum level, United Way of Greater Lorain County added extensive information to its Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar including basic contact and organizational information, in-depth financial information, qualitative information about goals, strategies and capabilities, and quantitative information about results and progress toward its mission, according to the release.

United Way of Greater Lorain County has focused its efforts recently on achieving more through collective impact, a strategy that brings together cross-sector organizations to coordinate their efforts and work together around a clearly defined goal, the release said.

Since focusing on collective impact, United Way of Greater Lorain County has received both national and local recognition, including being rated as Ohio’s highest performing United Way in 2014, the nation’s 17th highest performing United Way in 2015 and as the Ohio United Way of the Year in 2016, according to the release.

In addition to GuideStar, United Way of Greater Lorain County is rated by the Better Business Bureau, Charity Navigator and United Way Worldwide and receives an annual independent audit, the release said.

“We openly share our independent ratings and audited financials on our website at uwloraincounty.org and we encourage you to look into all of the information to see how we’re investing responsibly and to truly see what we’re all about,” Aroney said.

Learn more at uwloraincounty.org or by calling 440-277-6530.