PANO
Standards for Excellence Certification
Soroptimist International of the Americas has
earned the Seal of Excellence, awarded by the
Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit
Organizations (PANO). Certification in the
Standards for Excellence program is bestowed
only to the most well-managed and responsibly
governed nonprofit organizations that have
demonstrated compliance with the 56 specific
Standards for Excellence based on honesty,
integrity, fairness, respect, trust,
responsibility and accountability. SIA is one of
the first organizations in the state of
Pennsylvania to receive this distinction.
The certification program, sponsored by PANO,
required SIA to expose all aspects of its
operations, including board involvement and
policies, programs and services, management,
fundraising and financial practices. After the
completion of a lengthy standards self-study
application, it was submitted to PANO for
review. The application was then reviewed by a
panel of three trained peer reviewers. The
reviewers completed an ethics check-up during
which time all operations, work and
accomplishments were evaluated. A Standards
Committee made the final decision on
Soroptimist’s application.
SIA’s Board of Directors gave approval at their
meeting in August 2003 to submit the standards
application. The application was submitted to
PANO in April 2004 and following a site
inspection and interviews with the President,
President-elect and Executive Director, the Seal
of Excellence was awarded on November 15, 2004.
The certification is active for three years,
after which time Soroptimist will repeat the
process for re-certification.
What does the Seal of Excellence say about
Soroptimist?
The Seal of Excellence is a symbol of trust.
Organizations that bear the seal not only obey
the law, but go beyond the minimum requirements
set forth by government regulation.
The Seal of Excellence is a symbol for
excellence in nonprofit management.
Organizations that bear the seal are guided by a
well-defined mission, have evaluation systems in
place to measure the effectiveness of their
program, and adhere to sound financial
management policies.
The Seal of Excellence is a symbol for
excellence in leadership.
Organizations that bear the seal are led by a
volunteer board of directors that accepts
responsibility to oversee the organization’s
mission, policies, program and financial
resources.
The Seal of Excellence is a symbol for openness
and disclosure in nonprofits.
Organizations that bear the seal have
information available to the public, provide
truthful, responsible stewardship of all
donations and provide a voice for their
constituents.
The first Standards for Excellence program was
developed by a team of volunteers from
Maryland’s nonprofit community. This program is
now being replicated in five other U.S. states:
Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and
North Carolina. For more information about the
Standards for Excellence program, visit
www.pano.org
|
|
|
| |
|
Our Website |
| Soroptimist International of Huntington Beach
seeks to inform
current and prospective members, partner organizations, the press, and the
public about our organization.
To find out more about our
group, take a look at the
Soropti-Surfer Newsletter.
If you have questions, please
contact us. |
|
|
