Civil War Trust Recognized as Outstanding Nonprofit by Charity Watchdog Group

(Washington, D.C.) – National nonprofit leader GuideStar recognized the Civil War Trust this week with its coveted Platinum GuideStar Nonprofit Seal of Transparency, the group’s highest award for excellence in nonprofit management and transparency.  The charity watchdog organization is considered the largest source of nonprofit information in the world. 

“The Civil War Trust has long believed that transparency with our members is of the utmost importance,” said Trust President James Lighthizer. “Our donors are the reason that we have been able to save America’s most hallowed battlegrounds from development.  We owe it to them to be an organization committed to accountability, honesty, and integrity.  This designation from GuideStar is another example of how we aspire to be worthy of our members’ trust.” 

This is the fourth consecutive year that the Trust has received top honors from GuideStar.  Previous to the introduction of the Platinum award, the GuideStar Gold Seal award was the organization’s top designation.

GuideStar maintains an online database with a profile for every tax-exempt nonprofit registered with the Internal Revenue Service.  GuideStar also encourages each nonprofit to update its profile and share a wealth of information with the millions of people who trust GuideStar to provide critical information about nonprofit organizations.  

To reach the Platinum level, the Civil War Trust added extensive information to its GuideStar profile: 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 GuideStar, “By taking the time to provide this information, the Trust has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and giving donors meaningful data.” 

GuideStar’s announcement is only the most recent accolade acknowledging the accountability and integrity of the Trust.  The Civil War Trust has also been recognized by America's Best Charities as an organization that seeks to meet the highest standards of public accountability and program effectiveness. In June, the Civil War Trust earned its eighth consecutive 4-star ranking from Charity Navigator, America’s leading charity evaluator. 

“Only 2 percent of the charities we evaluate have received at least eight consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that the Civil War Trust outperforms most other charities in America,” said Charity Navigator CEO Michael Thatcher. “This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets the Civil War Trust apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness.” 

Information about the Civil War Trust’s Platinum GuideStar Nonprofit Seal of Transparency is available at www.guidestar.org. To find out more about the 4-star ranking of the Civil War Trust by Charity Navigator, visit www.charitynavigator.org. The Trust’s America’s Best Charities profile can be found at www.best-charities.org. 

“I encourage you to visit our profile on GuideStar to see what we’re all about,” added Lighthizer. “We’re thrilled that our GuideStar Platinum Nonprofit Profile and its associated benefits help us better communicate our organization’s mission to the public.” 

The Civil War Trust is a national nonprofit organization devoted to the protection of America’s hallowed battlegrounds. It saves the battlefields of the Civil War, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, and educates the public about their importance in forging the nation we are today. To date, the Trust has preserved more than 47,000 acres of battlefield land in 24 states.