CalGreen Maintains GuideStar's Gold Certification

Initially awarded last year, CalGreen again receives GuideStar’s second highest honor for transparency, openness, and board governance.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.–With its mission to advance systems thinking and the Triple-Bottom Line, the California Green Academy (“CalGreen”) is proud to obtain GuideStar’s gold certification, for the second year-in-a-row. GuideStar is the world’s largest information source for nonprofit organizations, and is long considered an authority in oversight and best practices for the social sector. Additionally, GuideStar’s certification levels–bronze, silver, gold, and platinum–are earned by the degree of administrative and financial transparency, openness and best practices, as well as, an organization’s board governance.

“We are, as always, incredibly proud of our gold re-certification, and have made sure the practices and systems developed for such certification are all memorialized in governing documents and associated policies, as well as, embedded in our board, administrative, and programmatic actions. While it may be easy to ‘rest upon our laurels,’ now in our second year, we aim for obtaining GuideStar’s platinum certification, which GuideStar does a fantastic job providing the resources and provisions for such,” stated Greg Justice, CalGreen’s Chief Sustainability Officer (CEO/ED).

Next steps for achieving platinum certification include developing further measures and metrics for board governance and accountability, as well as, planning to implement greater ‘sunshine’ policies–such as, document retention and whistleblower protections. “Given GuideStar’s ample educational materials for developing needed policies, and CalGreen’s history of going far-and-above what is required in matters of transparency, I am confident we can achieve platinum certification this year, continuing CalGreen’s principled development,” stated Greg Finkelstein, Chief Ethics Officer.

CalGreen’s GuideStar profile is available for viewing at: guidestar.org/profile/82-0784342, and all governing documents can be viewed / downloaded at: calgreenacademy.org/files. For additional information, please visit calgreenacademy.org, or email CalGreen at: info@calgreenacademy.org.

As well, safe, secure, and tax-deductible donations can be made at calgreenacademy.org/donate.

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A PDF of this release can be downloaded here.