BBB Wise Giving Report for
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind

BBB Wise Giving Report issued August 2011
BBB Wise Giving Report expires August 2013


This BBB Accredited charity meets all 20 Standards for Charity Accountability and is a Seal Holder. Find out more...


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Charity Contact Information

Name: Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind
Address: 371 East Jericho Turnpike
  Smithtown, NY 11787
Phone: 800-548-4337
631-930-9000
Web Address: www.guidedog.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1949, New York
Affiliates: America's VetDogs- The Veteran's K-9 Corps, Inc.
Stated Purpose: "to improve the quality of life of people who are blind, visually impaired, or with other special needs."

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind (GDFB) meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

GDFB provides guide or service dogs, free of charge, to people who are blind, visually impaired, or have other disabilities and seek the increased independence, mobility and companionship that a guide or service dog can provide. Volunteer families, called "Puppy Walkers," raise the puppies in their homes for one year, then the puppies return to the GDFB to begin their formal guide training. Students come to the 9-acre Smithtown, NY, campus for a 25-day, in-residence training program, or are trained by a skilled field instructor in their home state. Over the course of the training, the students and their dogs bond and learn how to work together as a team. Students also learn about the proper care for their dog, from grooming to exercising. After the team graduates from the program, a member of the training staff usually conducts a home visit. Assistance and after-care services are also available. GDFB takes steps to promote guide or service dog use throughout the United States, build public awareness for the work they do and teach people about etiquette and interacting with a guide dog. The organization's website features news and information about guide and service dogs and the essential access laws that give them the right to go everywhere the public is allowed.

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010, GDFB's program expenses were:

  
Dog training 5,289,799
Breeding and puppy program 1,107,007
Student related services 1,028,073
Public education 823,850
Total Program Expenses: $8,248,729
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Wells B. Jones, Chief Executive Officer
Compensation*:
$221,374

Chair of the Board: Robert T. Stratford, Jr.
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Vice President, NY Commercial Bank

Board Size: 22

Paid Staff Size: 100

*July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010 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, grant proposals, Internet appeals, planned giving, and workplace giving campaigns.
Fund raising costs were 9% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $7,056,409, 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 GDFB's audited financial statements (consolidated) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 4,989,781
Bequests and legacies 2,054,570
Unrealized gains due to changes in market value 228,928
Interest and dividends 126,991
Other 94,667
Special events, net 12,058
Realized losses on sale of investments -11,161
Total Income $7,495,834


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Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 87%  Fund Raising: 7%  Administrative: 6% 

Total income   $7,495,834
  Program expenses $8,248,729
  Fund raising expenses 622,650
  Administrative expenses 605,340
 
Total expenses   $9,476,719
Expenses in Excess of Income   (1,980,885)
Beginning net assets   11,942,685
Ending net assets   9,961,800
Total liabilities   6,958,065
Total assets   $16,919,865

Note: According to its audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2010, GDFB received in-kind goods and services of $302,452 including veterinarian services ($134,028), medications and vaccines ($118,647), puppy/dog flight transport ($22,100), donated puppies/dogs ($19,500), and dog toys, bowls, bones, and crates ($8,177).

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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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