Better Business Bureau Report for
Blue Bird Circle

Better Business Bureau Report issued March 2012
Better Business Bureau Report expires March 2013


Does not meet one or more standards
This charity does not meet one or more of the 20 standards for Charity Accountability. Find out more...


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Charity Contact Information

Name: Blue Bird Circle
Address: 615 W. Alabama
  Houston, TX 77006-5003
Phone: 713-528-0470
Web Address: www.thebluebirdcircle.org
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Better Business Bureau Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1940, Texas
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: The Blue Bird Circle (BBC) exists to promote the well being of humanity through the betterment of the community. Its charitable and benevolent activities are pledged to the support of the Blue Bird Circle Clinic for Pediatric Neurology at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH), the Blue Bird Circle Clinical research at TCH, the BBC Developmental Neurogenetics Lab and the BBC Rett Center.

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Evaluation Conclusions

               

Blue Bird Circle does not meet the following 5 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Standard 8: Program Service Expense Ratio - Spend at least 65% of its total expenses on program activities.

The Blue Bird Circle does not meet this standard because its IRS Form 990 for the year ended May 31, 2010 does not show the organization spending at least 65% of expenses on program service activities.

Standard 10: Ending Net Assets - Avoid accumulating funds that could be used for current program activities. To meet this standard, the charity's unrestricted net assets available for use should not be more than three times the size of the past year's expenses or three times the size of the current year's budget, whichever is higher.

The Blue Bird Circle does not meet this standard because its IRS Form 990 for the year ended May 31, 2010 shows that the organization holds assets more than 3 times its expenses.

Standard 11: Financial Statements - Make available to all, on request, complete annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. When total annual gross income exceeds $250,000, these statements should be audited in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $250,000, a review by a certified public accountant is sufficient to meet this standard. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $100,000, an internally produced, complete financial statement is sufficient to meet this standard.

Blue Bird Circle does not meet this Standard because:

  • It states it does not have audited financial statements for the past fiscal year.

Standard 14: Budget - Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration.

The Blue Bird Circle does not meet this standard because its budget did not report total prjected expenses for programs or fundraising.

Standard 20: Complaints - Respond promptly to and act on complaints brought to its attention by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and/or local Better Business Bureaus about fund raising practices, privacy policy violations and/or other issues.

The Blue Bird Circle does not meet this standard because it currently has one unanswered complaint.
In addition, the Houston BBB requested but did not receive complete information on the organization’s governance and oversight, effectiveness measures, and finances and is unable to verify the organization's compliance with the following 6Standards for Charity Accountability: 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, and 12.
Blue Bird Circle meets the remaining 9 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

               

Programs include: Research - performs research for the benefit of children with pediatric neurological disorders thought he blue bird developmental neurogenetics laboratory and the Blue Bird Rett Center. Pediatric Neurology Clinic - served 13,564 patients during the fiscal year ended May 30, 2010.

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2010, Blue Bird Circle's program expenses were:

  
Total: 60,167
Total Program Expenses: $60,167
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Governance

               

Chief Executive :
Compensation*:

Chair of the Board: Mills Toomey
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Volunteer, retired from retail sales

Board Size: 20

Paid Staff Size: 8

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

               

Method(s) Used:

invitations to fund raising events
Fund raising costs were 6% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $586,557, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
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Tax Status

               

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.
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Financial

               

The following information is based on Blue Bird Circle's IRS Form 990 for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2010.

Source of Funds  
Other revenue 1,125,459
Contributions and grants 399,003
Gross income from fundraising 187,554
Investment income -38,713
Less direct expenses for fundraising -66,483
Total Income $1,606,820


chart



Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 6%  Fund Raising: 4%  Administrative: 90% 

Total income   $1,606,820
  Program expenses $60,167
  Fund raising expenses 36,160
  Administrative expenses 875,590
 
Total expenses   $971,917
Income in Excess of Expenses   634,903
Beginning net assets   17,621,500
Ending net assets   19,696,003
Total liabilities   573,107
Total assets   $20,269,110


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Complaints

               

 

When considering complaint information, please take into account the business's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.

BBB processed a total of 1 complaint(s) about this business in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 1 complaint(s) closed in the last 36 months, 0 were closed in the last 12 months.

These complaints concerned:

1   regarding Selling Practices

 

These complaints were closed as:

1   No Response
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An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.

This report is not to be used for fund raising or promotional purposes.

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