OAR News

Just months after OAR received a 4-Star rating by Charity Navigator, GreatNonprofits, a major charity-rating website, has recognized OAR as a “top-rated” nonprofit organization for the eleventh year in a row. This rating was determined based on the many OAR friends, supporters, and community partners who provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about OAR during this year’s campaign. OAR is honored and deeply appreciative of such a positive response to our continued efforts to raise money, fund research, and change lives for autistic people and their families.

These are some of the highlights from the 2020 reviews, which touch upon many of the important aspects of OAR programming:

• “Once schools closed due to COVID-19 this spring I had to take leave from work to care for my two autistic elementary schoolers full-time. The disruptions COVID caused to our normal schedule were very difficult for my younger son. I was so relieved once I found Organization for Autism Research’s free resources and list of COVID resources. OAR’s resources helped get my family and I through the toughest of times. I cannot express in words how grateful we are for Organization for Autism Research and all that they do.” –Parent
   
• “I am an autistic adult who first learned of OAR while I was job searching, and having no luck…[The Hire Autism] website had plenty of articles I read to help me prepare to answer common questions ahead of time…I am very grateful to the entire Hire Autism team for their guidance…I feel that OAR is truly dedicated to assisting autistic people. Their resources, research, and fundraising efforts are relevant for autistic people and aim to support and empower us. I’ve had a rewarding experience engaging with this organization, and I encourage other autistic adults to reach out to them too.” –Autistic self-advocate
   
• “I’ve been a supporter/fundraiser/runner for OAR since 2017. As a mom to a child on the spectrum, I wanted to find an organization that really cared and supported the Autism community in a wide variety of ways. It’s comforting to know that the money raised goes to so many different aspects of the community: research grants, scholarships, education materials, etc. I can’t say enough about how wonderful they are!” –Parent
    
• “I have been a Hire Autism Navigator since April 2020 and have loved the experience. The training is excellent and I really appreciate the ongoing support that the team provides. It has been a terrific volunteer position and I would highly encourage others who might be considering being a nonprofit volunteer to check out the organization.” –Volunteer

Both the Charity Navigator 4-Star rating and this “top-rated” recognition greatly help OAR in its fundraising efforts and in reaching a wider audience of families, educators, and autistic self-advocates. OAR is grateful to Great Nonprofits for the award  and to its friends and supporters for affirming OAR’s positive work within the autism community for the past 11 years.