THE FIDELCO GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION, INC.
103 Old Iron Ore Road, Bloomfield, Conn. 06002
www.fidelco.org

NEWS RELEASE               
Contact: Jack Hayward

For Immediate Release                            
Office: 860-243-4800 

Date: November 11, 2008   

FIDELCO GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION, INC.

RECEIVES 3rd CONSECUTIVE 4-STAR RATING FROM
CHARITY NAVIGATOR

Only 10 Percent of Rated Charities Receive “Exceptional” Rating

Bloomfield, Conn. – For the third straight year, the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation (Fidelco) has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the non-profit organization that helps donors make informed giving decisions. This top rating was based on Fidelco’s ability to execute its mission in a fiscally responsible way. According to Charity Navigator, “Only 10% of the charities we rated have received at least three consecutive 4-star ratings, indicating that the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation outperforms most charities in America. This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation from its peers and demonstrates to the public that it is worthy of their trust.” 
           
Charity Navigator rates charities in several categories including; program expenses; administrative expenses; fundraising expenses; fundraising efficiency (how much spent to raise money); primary revenue growth (from new and existing donors); program expense growth (year over year); and working capital ratio (ability to sustain programs without revenue growth.) Charity Navigator then compares the charity’s performance with the performance of similar charities. For a full explanation of how Charity Navigator rated Fidelco, visit Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation.

“This third consecutive four-star rating is most gratifying,” said George J. Salpietro, executive director of Fidelco. “It is indicative of how much we honor the contributions of our donors and our commitment to operate in the most fiscally-conservative manner possible.”

The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc. breeds, trains and places German shepherd dogs that are placed with men and women with visual disabilities throughout the U.S. and Canada. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, it relies solely on the gifts and the generosity of individuals, foundations, corporations and civic organizations. For more information, visit www.fidelco.org.

Charity Navigator, also a non-profit organization, helps charitable givers by providing information on more than 5,000 charities and evaluating the financial health of each of these charities. The organization does not accept contributions from any charities they evaluate