Is Save the Children a good charity? Find out why you might want to donate to it

Save the Children

As a century-old charity organization, Save the Children has seen some extreme crises in the last hundred years and come to the aid of defenseless children in light of several wars, famine, disasters, and disease outbreaks. In a feat of its own, the organization is credited with changing the lives of over a billion children throughout its lifetime.

Founded in London, England with the belief that “all children deserve better”, today Save the Children Fund has expanded its reach as a global movement to hundreds of countries. Therefore, this article will detail the basic functioning of the renowned charity and find out whether it is worthwhile.

Key Takeaways

  • Save the Children is a top-rated charity with high ratings and accolades from noteworthy charity watchdog organizations.
  • It is the first non-profit and non-governmental organization to be certified as Gender Fair due to its significant gender equality in the workplace.
  • Save the Children’s noble cause of upholding and protecting the rights of threatened children worldwide is commendable.

Save the Children is a top-rated charity that has received accolades from numerous charity watchdog organizations

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1964, Save the Children is a tax-exempt charity where donations made to it are tax-deductible. While this sets the precedence for the charity’s generous intentions, Save the Children’s high nonprofit ratings provide further context on the level of good governance and integrity with which it functions.

For its proper use of finance and commitment to maintaining transparency and accountability, the humanitarian organization earned the crowning 4/4-star ratings from Charity Navigator with a score of 91.82 percent. The evaluation also stated that donors can “give with confidence” to the charity, indicating its high credibility.

“Save the Children outperforms most other charities in America. This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Save the Children from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust,” affirmed Michael Thatcher, the president and CEO of Charity Navigator.

The assessment also confirmed that Save the Children upheld a Program Expense Ratio of 86.4 percent in 2020, which is more than its pledged ratio of 85 percent.

To elaborate, the organization’s website states that while 85 percent of the fund is directed towards achieving its core mission of helping children and 9 percent of it is used for additional fundraising activities, the least portion of the money at 6 percent is spent on management and general expenses of the organization.

Additionally, Charity Watch awarded an A-grade to Save the Children for meeting its benchmarks of governance and transparency and asserted that it was a top-rated charity. The evaluation also disclosed that the organization’s transparent financial information and regular auditing guarantee that for every dollar spent, 85 cents are always used for their cause.

Furthermore, the 2021 Forbes list of America’s Top 100 Charities ranked Save the Children in the 31st position for its impressive amount of donations raised, fundraising efficiency, and charitable commitment.

Save the Children is the first non-profit and non-governmental organization to be certified Gender-Fair

On March 11, 2020, Gender Fair, a public benefit corporation that rates companies and organizations for their gender equality endeavors certified Save the Children for fulfilling Gender Fair’s standard metrics based on UN Women’s Empowerment Principles.

As per Save the Children’s press release, it is the first non-profit and non-governmental organization to achieve the Gender Fair certification. It also received an A grade from the assessment and obtained perfect scores in leadership, advertising, and philanthropy/purpose.

“Save the Children is proud to earn this designation from Gender Fair. Our commitment to gender equality begins in the workplace, where we live out our core values every day, and carries through to our work with children in more than 100 countries,” said Janti Soeripto, the president and CEO of Save the Children.

Not only does the organization’s board and senior leadership team comprise an equal number of male and female members, but 80 percent of its employees in the U.S are females and 76 percent of its managers are women. Apart from addressing the issue of the gender pay gap, the charity’s employee policies also safeguard a just and equitable work environment for everyone irrespective of their gender.

Debbie Polloc-Berry, the Chief Human Resources Officer at Save the Children told Gender Fair that “gender equity is a priority for [the organization’s] work with children and communities across the globe” and took pride in the fact that they uphold the same principle in their workforce.

Similarly, Gender Fair’s CEO Johanna Zeilstra also expressed her delight in certifying Save the Children by reiterating the charity’s exceptional achievements in workplace equality. She also said;

“We are so pleased that Save the Children is the first nonprofit to join a growing list of certified Gender Fair organizations. Employees and donors can be confident that Save the Children supports its workforce in both word and practice. We are excited to work with Save the Children to further develop the standards for certification and accelerate equality within the NGO sector.”

Save the Children is commendable for its noble purpose of upholding and protecting the rights of vulnerable children

As the worldwide leading champion of children’s rights and interests, the humanitarian organization particularly emphasizes on securing the rights of threatened children facing hunger, poverty, diseases, and violence around the globe.

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With operations in 122 countries and 25,000 devoted employees to its name, Save the Children aims to uplift the lives of helpless children who are persisting in warzones or disaster-struck areas. The charity assures the survival, protection, and education of the world’s most vulnerable children by means of programming, emergency responses, and advocacy.

“Securing children’s rights is the foundation of our work. Millions of children around the world are denied their rights, simply because of who they are or where they are from. We know that to ensure every child has the chance for a future their rights must be upheld,” the organization declared on its website.

Since safeguarding the rights of children is the essence of all of its activities, the charity work focuses on ensuring that “children have healthcare, food, and shelter, as well as learning and child protection services when [they] need it most”. Also, the charity is committed to helping children realize their full potential in a non-threatening environment.

Such missions are accomplished through advocacy campaigns that work towards fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals and realizing children’s rights as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Child, and international programs that focus on education, health, protection, and disaster relief.

Although the charity’s notable achievements include its education programs reaching 7.7 million children in 2019 and health and nutrition programs reaching 26.8 million children in the same year, its well-intentioned child protection programs should also be mentioned.

In addition to having child protection teams that specialize in maintaining the safety of children in conflict zones, Save the Children also trains social workers and collaborates with families, communities, governments, and international institutions to support child protection systems around the world. Hence, the charity affirms that;

“When children experience trauma, we work to ensure they receive the care, rehabilitation, and psychosocial support they need to be children again.”