BBB Wise Giving Report for
Best Friends Animal Society

BBB Wise Giving Report issued October 2010
BBB Wise Giving Report expires June 2012


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: Best Friends Animal Society
Address: 5001 Angel Canyon Road
  Kanab, UT 84741
Phone: 435-644-2001
Web Address: www.bestfriends.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1968, Utah
Affiliates: None

Stated Purpose: "to provide animal care, rescue and population control with the end goal of having no more homeless pets."

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Evaluation Conclusions

               

Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) does not meet the following 2 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Standard 4: Compensated Board Members - Not more than one or 10% (whichever is greater) directly or indirectly compensated person(s) serving as voting member(s) of the board. Compensated members shall not serve as the board's chair or treasurer.

BFAS does not meet this Standard because:

  • 5 members out of the 10 member board of directors (50%) are compensated either directly or indirectly.  One of the compensated board members is the chair of the board.

Standard 16: Annual Report - Have an annual report available to all, on request, that includes: (a) the organization's mission statement, (b) a summary of the past year's program service accomplishments, (c) a roster of the officers and members of the board of directors, (d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (ii) expenses in the same program, fund raising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets.

BFAS does not meet this standard because the most recent annual report did not include:

  • Total expenses for each major program in the same categories that appear in the organization’s financial statements.
BFAS meets the remaining 18 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

               

BFAS operates a number of programs such as its sanctuary, rapid response, and community programs and services. The organization reports that through its sanctuary program which provides refuge for abused and abandoned animals, on any given day, about 1,700 animals receive special care and rehabilitation. BFAS also reports that most of these animals find homes and that the older, sicker animals or those that have suffered extra trauma find a home at the sanctuary. Through its network and rapid response team, BFAS tries to help communities rescue animals in distress and to set up spays/neuters, shelter, foster and adoption programs in neighborhoods, cities, and states. The organization has also launched activities under national campaigns such as “puppies aren’t products” to expose the truth about the pet industry, including puppy mills and pet stores that profit from cruelty.

For the year ended December 31, 2009, BFAS's program expenses were:

  
Animal care activities 15,507,393
Campaign and other national outreach 11,654,212
Rapid response 332,655
Total Program Expenses: $27,494,260
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Governance

               

Chief Executive : Paul Berry, Chief Executive Officer
Compensation*:
 $145,502

Chair of the Board: John Fripp
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Co-founder and CFO of Best Friends Animal Society

Board Size: 10

Paid Staff Size: 444

*2008 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
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Fund Raising

               

Method(s) Used:

Direct mail, special events, print advertisements, television, radio, grant proposals, Internet appeals, planned giving, cause-related marketing, and membership appeals.
Fund raising costs were 13% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $43,909,163, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
BFAS incurred joint costs of $182,514 for informational activities and materials that included fundraising materials. Of those costs, $91,257 was allocated to program expenses and $91,257 was allocated to fundraising.
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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 BFAS's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 40,558,643
Donations-in-kind 2,824,819
Store income 1,095,039
Gift shop income 732,952
Net investment return 714,022
Guest cottage and rental income 512,505
Interest/dividend income 466,670
Program events 406,081
Magazine advertising 380,464
Special events 119,620
Cafeteria/vending income 103,537
Total Income $47,914,352


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Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 73%  Fund Raising: 15%  Administrative: 7%  Other Expenses: 5%

Total income   $47,914,352
  Program expenses $27,494,260
  Fund raising expenses 5,652,739
  Administrative expenses 2,507,426
  Other Expenses 1,703,093
Total expenses   $37,357,518
Income in Excess of Expenses   10,556,834
Beginning net assets   27,385,285
Ending net assets   37,942,119
Total liabilities   3,874,278
Total assets   $41,816,397

Note 1:
According to BFAS' 2008 audited financial statements, the organization received $2,824,819 in in-kind donations in the form of animal care/welfare.

Note 2:
In the above financial summary, "other expenses" includes store expenses ($1,053,540), gift shop expenses ($455,766), guest cottages expense ($189,092), and net loss on disposal of assets ($4,695).

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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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