SURRY, MAINE - OCTOBER 3, 2011 - Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent evaluator of charities, has once again awarded a four-star rating to Sustainable Harvest International. This coveted 4-star rating, the highest honor Charity Navigator bestows, has been awarded to SHI in fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Last week, Charity Navigator unveiled a more comprehensive rating system for 2011 to help donors make intelligent giving decisions by providing information and financial evaluations on more than fifty-five hundred charities. It calculates each charity’s score based upon several broad criteria, including how much is spent per dollar raised, what percentage of funds goes to programs vs. administrative and fund-raising expenses, and the organization’s long-term financial health. It then assigns a rating from one to four, with four being the best rating.

“We applaud your charitable efforts and congratulate you for receiving a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that your organization excels, as compared to other charities in America, in the area of strong fiscal management,” praised Trent Stamp, executive director of Charity Navigator. “Sustainable Harvest International’s supporters can be confident in your efforts to maximize the impact of their donations.”

“It is an honor to once again receive their highest rating. Keeping our overhead low and being efficient is an essential part of our program. We consider the stewardship of your contributions a great responsibility, and so will continue to direct the majority of our expenditures to our programs,” said SHI President and Founder, Florence Reed.

To view the Sustainable Harvest International's rating page, please visit the Charity Navigator website: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8827

MAKE A DONATION TODAY! Use our secure website to give your most generous gift to support Sustainable Harvest International's work in Central America!

About Sustainable Harvest International
Founded in 1997 by Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Florence Reed, SHI has planted more than 2.8 million trees and converted thousands of acres to sustainable uses; thereby saving tens of thousands of acres of tropical forest from slash-and-burn destruction.  SHI has worked with more than 2,100 families in 155 communities throughout Honduras, Panama, Belize and Nicaragua implementing alternatives to slash-and-burn farming, the leading cause of tropical forest destruction in the region. www.sustainableharvest.org

About Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of nearly 5,500 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America's charitable givers.  www.charitynavigator.org