SOROPTIMIST COMPLETES PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS’ STANDARDS FOR EXCELLENCE RECERTIFICATION PROGRAM
Organization passes rigorous ethics and accountability codes

December 14, 2007
Contant: Kamali Brooks, Public Relations Manager, 215-893-9000 x 130

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Soroptimist International of the Americas, a Philadelphia-based international volunteer organization for business and professional women, received recertification for its Seal of Excellence by the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO). Soroptimist first received the Seal in December 2004 for successfully completing the Standards for Excellence certification program. The recertification recognizes Soroptimist’s continued exemplary management and accountability within the nonprofit sector.
 
Soroptimist, whose mission is to improve the lives of women and girls, was one of the first organizations to be certified under the Standards program that began in 2002.

“We are thrilled to receive the Standards for Excellence recertification,” said Leigh Wintz, CAE, Soroptimist’s executive director since 1991. “We continue to operate in the most responsible and ethical manner possible, and the Standards Committee validated our efforts.”

Soroptimist voluntarily opened itself up to scrutiny by a “jury of its peers,” who examined all aspects of the organization’s operations for compliance with PANO’s Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector, which lists 56 specific standards based on fundamental values such as honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility and accountability. Soroptimist’s programs and services, management, fundraising, and financial practices were examined in depth before being awarded the Seal of Excellence.

“Soroptimist is a true leader in its commitment to ethics and accountability in the nonprofit sector,” added Patrician Mogan, PANO’s Standards for Excellence officer.

PANO is the statewide membership organization serving and advancing the nonprofit sector through leadership, advocacy, education, and services in order to improve the quality of life in Pennsylvania.

The first effort of its kind in the nation, the Standards for Excellence program was developed by a team of volunteers from Maryland’s nonprofit community. For more information about the Standards for Excellence program or to request a copy of the Standards, visit www.pano.org/standards/standards.php.

Soroptimist, a 501 c (3) organization headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa., offers programs that improve social and economic conditions for women and girls. Programs include the Women’s Opportunity Awards, which provides cash grants for head-of-household women seeking to improve their lives with the help of additional education and training. Each year, more than $1 million is disbursed through this award-winning program. Visit Soroptimist’s website at www.soroptimist.org to learn more about the organization and its work on behalf of the world’s women and girls.

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