The Georgia Urban Forest Council, a nonprofit organization sustaining Georgia's green legacy by helping communities grow healthy trees, was awarded the Standards for Excellence Institute's Seal of Excellence for successfully completing the Standards for Excellence certification program...
The Georgia Urban Forest Council, Inc. (GUFC) has been awarded the Standards for Excellence Institute’s Seal of Excellence for successfully completing the Standards for Excellence certification program. A peer review team examined GUFC for compliance with the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector established by the Standards for Excellence Institute, a program of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations.
Standards for Excellence are based on fundamental values such as honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility, and accountability. The Georgia Urban Forest Council’s programs and services, management, fundraising and financial practices were examined in depth before the certification was awarded. GUFC is one of the first organizations – and currently the only organization in Georgia -- to be certified under the national Standards accreditation program that began in 2006. This program provides a model for how the most well managed and responsibly governed nonprofits operate.
Past-president Sarah Visser, who was instrumental in the application process, says, “"The Standards for Excellence program supports the highest level of nonprofit management. By achieving this designation, the Georgia Urban Forest Council is ideally positioned to expand our programs and organization in ways that will meaningfully impact our mission." Mary Lynne Beckley, Executive Director of GUFC comments, “Undergoing the application and review process for Standards For Excellence certification was extremely beneficial to us because it helped us examine every policy, procedure, and system within our organization. We learned what we were doing right and what we needed to improve upon. We now know that we are striving to be the very best nonprofit that we can be and are proud as an organization to have made this outstanding accomplishment.”
According to Peter V. Berns, CEO of the Standards for Excellence Institute, “Organizations which are successful in the certification program should be commended for their commitment to excellence and integrity.” The Standards for Excellence Institute encourages organizations to participate in the voluntary certification program because the
Standards can help improve organizations. Berns added, “With every new organization that meets the Standards, we move one step closer to the day when the public will feel confident its nonprofit organizations are acting ethically and are accountable in their program operations, governance, human resources, financial management and fundraising practices.”
The Standards for Excellence Institute offers a voluntary, leadership-based accreditation program for nonprofits interested in demonstrating that they abide by the
Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector. While the program was initially available only in a select group of states that have licensed Standards for Excellence Replication Partners, in 2006, the Standards for Excellence Institute launched the national certification program and opened up the opportunity for any US nonprofit to apply and earn the Seal of Excellence. For more information about the Standards for Excellence Institute, please call visit www.standardsforexcellenceinstitute.org or 410-727-1726 ext. 14.
The Georgia Urban Forest Council is a tax exempt, charitable nonprofit whose mission is to sustain Georgia’s green legacy by helping communities grow healthy trees. For more information about the Georgia Urban Forest Council, call 404-377-0404 or 800-994-4832 or visit
www.gufc.org.