The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties recently received another "seal of approval" from the United Way Worldwide organization for completing a series of 13 membership requirements set forth to be considered in good standing with the international organization for the year 2012.

This year marks the third consecutive year that United Way has earned this distinction, tagged as a "Thumbs Up!" by the international organization.

"This is strong external validation of our organization’s compliance to high standards and best practices," said Pat Murphy, United Way Board Chair and Plant Manager at the local General Mills operation."It goes hand in hand with the accountability and transparency we are striving for with our donors and community stakeholders.  I’m proud of our staff and volunteers who have shown a passion for continuous improvement and making a lasting community impact here in Rutherford and Cannon Counties."

 United Ways around the country complete the requirements on an annual basis and submit a report to the international organization with the appropriate accompanying documents. United Way Worldwide reviews and analyzes those reports and documents and issues an acknowledgement of membership requirements met for those United Ways meeting all criteria for membership.

Membership criteria includes such items as being recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization by the Internal Revenue Service, having an active, responsible and voluntary governing body, adhering to a locally developed and adopted code of ethics for volunteers and staff, and having an annual audit conducted by an independent certified public accountant.

A comprehensive list of United Ways meeting the membership requirements for 2012 is available at http://apps.liveunited.org/myuw/.