Williamson Receives PANO's Stamp of Approval

It’s now official. What everyone familiar with the Williamson School already knows and takes for granted, has been officially documented. Williamson is a school of the highest ethical standards.

The Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO), a statewide organization whose mission is to promote excellence and integrity in the management practices of nonprofits, recently awarded Williamson their Seal of Excellence for compliance with their Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector, the first institution of higher education in the state to be so recognized.

Certification under the Standards for Excellence program is only bestowed on organizations that are the most well-managed and responsibly governed nonprofit organizations and that have demonstrated compliance with 56 specific Standards for Excellence. The certification program required Williamson to expose all aspects of its operation, from board minutes to personnel policies to program evaluations, to examination by a team of trained nonprofit peer reviewers. The results proved that Williamson excels in management, fundraising, and fiscal practices.

PANO, a membership organization serving and advancing the nonprofit sector through leadership, advocacy, education, and services in order to improve the quality of life in Pennsylvania, offers standards that are recognized nationally. PANO’s Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector is the centerpiece of the program and the Seal of Excellence is awarded only after a rigorous review conducted by PANO and a team of independent peer reviewers determine that an organization complies with the lofty standards outlined by PANO.

The Standards for Excellence are based on honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility, compassion, and accountability in nonprofit operations, governance, human resources, financial management, and fundraising. Areas covered are mission and program,  governing body, conflict of interest, human resources,  financial and legal, openness, fundraising, and public affairs. The Standards for Excellence set a high benchmark that go beyond the minimum legal requirements by outlining how well-managed and responsibly governed nonprofits should operate.

Williamson’s application for PANO was prepared over three years by Gregory L. Lindemuth, vice president of finance/CFO. Lindemuth said the review process was extremely demanding and left no stone  uncovered. “They examined many aspects of our school, from our business practices, our governance, to our fundraising, to make sure we follow the best practices for nonprofit organizations. It is a very rigorous evaluation.”

Lindemuth had to compile such items as policy manuals, Board meeting minutes, Board policies, fundraising policies, copies of the forms in use, performance appraisals, audited formal reports, and internal financial reports. He said the effort was worth it. “This is a third party verification that our various practices meet current standards. This will enable us to put our best foot forward and show those who support us, or might support us in the future, that our school is worthy of their support. It is one more way to demonstrate to our supporters that we are doing something right and we are worthy of their support.”

The process began in September 2005 when the Board of Trustees decided Williamson would benefit from having PANO certification. Trustee Richard W. Lighty served as the Board’s liaison throughout the rigorous process.

President Paul A. Reid, said “PANO’s Standards for Excellence represent a measure of performance worthy of our efforts. They are comprehensive, measurable, and demanding standards of our policies and our behavior as a nonprofit entity. The Board of Trustees and I  believe this certification establishes Williamson as a world-class organization operating with the highest standards for performance, ethics,  transparency, and efficiency. The public we serve and the community where we serve are now assured of what we had only been able to suggest to them before. We are honored and challenged by the Standards for Excellence.”

Patricia “Tish” Mogan, PANO’s Standards for Excellence officer, said “It was an honor and privilege to work with Williamson in the Standards for Excellence certification process. Williamson’s commitment to ethics and accountability was clearly evident in all areas of operations that we reviewed. All peer reviewers and Standards Committee members recognized the high quality of this institution. Williamson was ready and willing to respond to the operational areas that needed to be addressed to be in compliance with the Standards. We were impressed with how Williamson took no shortcuts on any process that needed improvement and responded to all components with integrity and quality.”

The certification, which was approved Feb. 1, 2008, is a 3-year certification. Williamson will apply for re-certification every three years by demonstrating a continuation of Standards for Excellence compliance.