For the third year in a row San Diego Zoo Global has earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for its fiscal management and commitment to accountability. A three-year, four-star rating is achieved by only 12 percent of the 8,000 organizations surveyed. The rating system serves as a guide offering information for philanthropy. "We are proud to be a trusted destination for conservation philanthropy," said Douglas G. Myers, president and CEO of San Diego Zoo Global. "We work hard to ensure that money raised for our mission goes immediately into the important work saving species from extinction." Over the last three years San Diego Zoo Global has committed more than $500 million for animal care, exhibits, education programs and conservation initiatives. Significant programs include its ongoing work to recover the California condor, head-starting and reintroduction programs for Caribbean iguanas, contribution to knowledge about giant pandas and support for fieldwork on six continents. Charity Navigator works to help charitable givers make intelligent giving decisions by providing information on more than 8,000 charities nationwide and by evaluating their financial health. 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. San Diego Zoo Global has received a four-star rating through this system seven times in the last eight years. Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes onsite wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is inspiring children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the Internet and in children’s hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.