I do not have any particular background information or hard research facts, but I have supported this charity for years (several children at any given time) and have not had any bad experiences. I receive letters from the children, as well as photos and other frequent updates.

Can I vouch for the efficiency of this charity? No. (In fact, I came to CharityNavigator.org to research that aspect...). But as best as I can tell, it seems to be a well run charity.

I also find myself disagreeing with the 1-star reviewers here. Birthday card money not going 100% to the child? Well, first of all, where is the data to back that up. But even if that is the case, I have no major problem with it, as long as the charity's overall funds end up with the children. Sure, dock them a star and move from 5-star to 4-star. But drop to 1-star?!? It seems there are bigger issues at stake.

Also, who cares if the CEO of an organization of this size makes $400k a year?!? That is just naive. $400,000 a year and a company car isn't exactly a stellar top executive salary, and it seems to me that most people who are serious about donating money to charities like this one should probably be aware of that. I would have in fact expected the CEO to make more, especially if he does a good job, which all the facts I have been able to research about this charity lead me to believe.

I rate my experience with this organization 5-star. I am not sure if their financial efficiency is 5-star, but my experience certainly is.