Accreditations and Affiliations

Operation Smile is a United Nations Affiliated Organization.

Operation Smile is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) associated with the United Nation’s Department of Public Information (DPI). As such, Operation Smile acts as a liaison to the United Nations. Criteria for association with the DPI of the United Nations are that the NGO must support and respect the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and have a clear mission statement. The NGO must be recognized nationally or internationally; should operate solely on a not-for-profit basis and have tax-exempt status. The NGO must have the commitments and means to conduct effective information programs to its constituents and a broader audience about United Nations activities and should have an established record of continuity of work and show promise of sustained activity in the future. All NGOs that are associated with the United Nations must have a satisfactory record of collaboration with the United Nations, have audited financial statements, and have statutes/bylaws providing for a transparent process of making decisions, elections of officers and members of the Board of Directors.

Operation Smile International Appears in Forbes Survey of 200 Largest Charities

Operation Smile International has been a member of "Forbes 200" since 2001. This annual survey of charities provides basic data on each charity's financial performance. The list is in two parts. The first covers revenues and expenses, and the second contains Forbes' analysis based on three ratios.

Charitable commitment:
This shows how much of the money a nonprofit spent went to its charitable purpose, as opposed to management, overhead or fundraising.

Fundraising efficiency:
This measures how much of the money raised from private sources was left after fundraising expenses.

Donor dependency:
This reveals how much of a nonprofit's surplus came from private support as opposed to, say, investment gains or sale of goods. A 100% or higher ratio means the nonprofit was totally dependent on gifts to make ends meet.

For a complete listing of Forbes' annual survey, click here.

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