Enhanced Code of Excellence Featured in Chronicle of Philanthropy The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the No. 1 news source, in print and online, for nonprofit leaders, fund raisers, grant makers, and others involved in the philanthropic enterprise, recently published a feature on the Standards for Excellence program and its enhancements. The Chronicle notes "a recent study [that] suggests that accreditation can make a difference in how much money charities raise. Three university business professors compared 102 fully accredited nonprofits with the same number of unaccredited organizations. The study, released last month, found that the accredited nonprofits raised a median $286,589 in the year they applied for accreditation, and that figure rose to $323,754 during the first year they were accredited. The median donation to the uncertified organizations declined over the same period." "The institute has also expanded its standards on topics such as fundraising, disaster planning, and relations between executives and board members. With those additions, nonprofits must now meet 67 standards to be accredited. Groups that meet the standards, after participating in a three-year review, earn the right to display a Seal of Excellence throughout their offices and in communications with donors and other constituents." Read the full article here.