Media & Press - Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ROOM TO READ WINS CHARITY NAVIGATOR'S FOUR-STAR RATING FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

San Francisco, CA – October 20, 2008 – Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator, has again awarded Room to Read the coveted four-star rating for sound fiscal management. This is the third year in a row Room to Read has achieved this award – a recognition that only 10 percent of their rated charities can claim and what Charity Navigator says demonstrates a charity that is "worthy of trust."

As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars.

"This rating is important to alerting donors about Room to Read's efficiency," said John Wood, Room to Read founder and CEO. "Room to Read's consistency in the rating is an exceptional feat, especially given the economic challenges many charities have had to face in the last year and will have to face in the year ahead. One of the keys to our success is having world-class Board members who have helped Room to Read to be run with the efficiency of a blue chip company. We're proud to have Muneer Satter as our Board Chairman, Scott Kapnick as the head of our Finance Committee, and Craig Bruya leading our Audit Committee." (Please click here for Board bios).

Charity Navigator's ratings were calculated based on Room to Read's most recent financial information. The four-star rating demonstrates that Room to Read is able to efficiently manage and grow its finances. Furthermore, according to Ken Berger, President and CEO of Charity Navigator, winning this award three years in a row shows, "Room to Read consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America."

Forbes, Business Week, and Kiplinger's Financial Magazine, among others, have profiled Charity Navigator's unique analysis of the charitable sector. Charity Navigator is the leading charity evaluator in America and it evaluates ten times more charities than its nearest competitors. Please visit the Room to Read page on the Charity Navigator website for more information:
http://www .charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10217

About Room to Read

Room to Read is a leader in providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children around the world. Room to Read was established in 2000 based on the belief that education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty in the developing world. Since then, the organization has supported more than two million children by providing better access to education. Room to Read has assisted in building more than 440 schools, 5,600 bilingual libraries and 110 computer labs. It has published 226 new children's books in local languages, representing more than two million books and has awarded 6,922 girls long-term scholarships. Room to Read is providing opportunities that change children's lives and communities throughout Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia. Its goal is to create an additional 5,000 libraries to bring education to five million children by 2010.

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Contact:
Rebecca Hankin, Director of Communications
Room to Read
rhankin@roomtoread.org
+1 (415) 561-3331 x142