I'm a board member so "slightly" biased. The reason LWVNYC gets my top rating is that it is run by its members and volunteers. Unlike most nonprofits that have gone in the direction of adding layers of staff and consultants (which means the funds they raise go for salaries), LWVNYC does almost all of its work through the efforts of (unpaid) committed members of the community.
As a political science student in college, I was always interested and involved in politics. I had heard of the League of Women Voters through working with local and federal election campaigns. After completing my first year of law school and understanding how both the law and politics affects us as voters, I was naturally drawn to the League of Women Voters of the City of New York because of their work with voter advocacy, ensuring voter rights, and activist work with relevant issues. As an intern with LWVNYC, I saw first hand how hard the staff, volunteers, and Board of Directors work to educate voters of New York City on issues that affect them personally.
LWVNYC is strictly non-partisan and prides themselves on being able to support and oppose issues from all sides of the political spectrum. LWVNYC is active in protecting the issues that they believe are pertinent to New Yorkers. From my first day here, LWVNYC has taken a stand against hydrofracking in New York. They have sent letters to various representatives telling them not to participate in hydrofracking and have encouraged other New Yorkers do to the same. LWVNYC also joined the fight for marriage equality in NY and was incredibly proud to see it pass.
Aside from taking action on certain issues, LWVNYC publishes two incredibly valuable publications: "They Represent You" and "What Makes New York City Run?". "They Represent You" provides New Yorkers with detailed information about their representatives, ways to contact their representatives, and a basic understanding on how the government works. "What Makes New York City Run?" provides information about the confusing process of how the city government works and who is in charge of each department. I have heard first hand from various New Yorkers how important these publications are and how much they have helped everyone from new citizens to high school students; businesses to individuals.
LWVNYC's most important mission is to encourage active and informed voting. They are constantly looking for ways to register new voters (including going to various volunteer events in the city, such as JASA), use social media and technology to reach more diverse populations, and are developing several active voting campaigns for the upcoming elections. Not only do they encourage voting in elections, but LWVNYC also runs a "How to Run for Public Office" course which teaches and encourages individual people interested in a seat in office how to run an effective campaign.
Anyone who is concerned about their government, taxes, culture and rights should be involved in some way with LWVNYC. Their work is incredibly important to maintain the voter's voice in government and politics.