Founder Christel DeHaan pays all administrative and fundraising expenses, thereby allowing donors’ contributions to be used entirely for programs and services directly benefitting children. Individuals, corporations, foundations and governments welcome this funding arrangement which allows them to leverage their philanthropic contributions and enables Christel House to maximize the scope and impact of its work, ultimately benefitting more children.
Charity Navigator works to advance the field of philanthropy by evaluating the financial health of over 5,300 of America's largest charities. For 2011, Charity Navigator rated Christel House as a Three Star charity. However, its formula is dramatically impacted by large and/or infrequent transactions. Because Founder contributions to fund overhead come in large amounts, and at irregular intervals, a substantial distortion is created when Charity Navigator’s formula is applied. As a result, Christel House’s Charity Navigator rating will fluctuate from year to year—sometimes significantly—even though the underlying financial conditions of the organization continue to strengthen each year.
Many factors should be considered when evaluating a charity’s effectiveness—most importantly, program outcomes, transparency, and accountability, which are not yet measured by Charity Navigator or similar rating organizations. The best demonstration of Christel House’s success can be found in the transformation in the lives of students, families and community members it serves.
Philosophy
"Christel House focuses on lasting transformation, not temporary sustenance. It is the difference between giving a man a fish for a meal today and teaching him to fish to provide for himself and his family in the future."
-- Christel DeHaan, Founder, Christel House International
