Better Business Bureau

Charity Contact Information BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments Programs

Tax Status Governance Fund Raising Financial

Name:	Horizon Hospice & Palliative Care Inc.
Address:	833 West Chicago Avenue Suite 300
	Chicago, IL 60622
Phone:	312-733-8900 312-733-2233
Web Address:	www.horizonhospice.org

Horizon Hospice & Palliative Care Inc. does not meet the following Standard for Charity Accountability.

Standard 9: Fund Raising Expense Ratio - Spending should be no more than 35% of related contributions on fund raising. Related contributions include donations, legacies, and other gifts received as a result of fund raising efforts. Horizon Hospice & Palliative Care Inc. does not meet this Standard because: According to its audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, the organization's fund raising costs were 57% ($395,111) of related contributions, which totaled $690,191.

In addition, the BBB of Chicago & Northern Illinois requested but did not receive complete information on the organization’s governance and oversight, effectiveness measures, solicitation materials, donor privacy, and fundraising disclosures and is unable to verify the organization's compliance with the following 9Standards for Charity Accountability: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 18, and 19.

Horizon Hospice & Palliative Care Inc. meets the remaining 9 Standards for Charity Accountability. Please note that as of the date of this report 1 out of the 20Standards for Charity Accountability are not currently effective. As a result, this standard has not been applied to this evaluation.

Horizon Hospice and Palliative Care was established in 1978 by volunteer Ada F. Addington, together with a clergyman, a physician and an attorney. Horizon is now a full-service, not-for-profit agency certified by Medicare and Medicaid and accredited by the Joint Commission. Horizon has 100 staff members and 100 volunteers, a strong board of directors and a group of expert advisors. A founding member of the Illinois State Hospice Organization, Horizon Hospice and Palliative Care is affiliated with 10 area hospitals and numerous nursing homes. Hospice care is delivered primarily in the home by Horizon’s interdisciplinary team, under the supervision of our medical director, who is board-certified in Internal Medicine and in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The team includes registered nurses, social workers, home health aides, physicians, chaplains, bereavement counselors and volunteers.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, Horizon Hospice & Palliative Care Inc.'s program expenses were:

Program Service	6,409,676
Total Program Expenses:	$6,409,676

Chief Executive :

Compensation*:

Chair of the Board:
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation:

Board Size:

Paid Staff Size:

*Compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:

Fund raising costs were 57% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $690,191, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Horizon Hospice & Palliative Care Inc.'s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Source of Funds
Program Service	7,495,024
Support	690,191
Net Assets Released from Restrictions	224,164
Total Income	$8,409,379

Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 79%  Fund Raising: 5%  Administrative: 16%

Total income				$8,409,379
	Program expenses			$6,409,676
	Fund raising expenses			395,111
	Administrative expenses			1,272,627
Total expenses				$8,077,414
Income in Excess of Expenses				331,965
Beginning net assets				1,778,809
Ending net assets				2,110,774
Total liabilities				1,701,766
Total assets				$3,812,540