BBB Wise Giving Report for
Amnesty International of the USA

BBB Wise Giving Report issued August 2010
BBB Wise Giving Report expires August 2012


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: Amnesty International of the USA
Address: 5 Penn Plaza,
16th Floor
  New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212-807-8400
Web Address: www.amnestyusa.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1966, New York
Affiliates: 1000 chapters

Stated Purpose: “to campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all and promote all provisions in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

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Evaluation Conclusions

               

Amnesty meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

               

Through its international programs, Amnesty gathers and disseminates information on human rights. Amnesty supports the research into human rights violations and the coordination of international efforts to stop them. Its membership program assists in the development, training and support of local campus and country coordination groups working for Amnesty to advance human rights through publications and dissemination of information to members as well as the general public. Some ($4,146,204 or 10%) of Amnesty's program activities are carried out in conjunction with its fund raising appeals.

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, Amnesty's program expenses were:

  
Membership programs 12,544,393
International 12,425,395
Communications and publications 11,842,818
Campaigns and actions 5,097,693
Total Program Expenses: $41,910,299
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Governance

               

Chief Executive : Larry Cox, Executive Director
Compensation*:
 $224,700

Highest Paid Executive: Timothy Higdon, Deputy Executive Director for External Affairs
Compensation*: $225,000

Chair of the Board: Jeff Bachman
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Environmental Attorney

Board Size: 15

Paid Staff Size: 125

*October 1, 2007 - September 30, 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, telemarketing, special events, print advertisements, grant proposals, Internet appeals, door to door, planned giving, cause-related marketing, and membership appeals.
Fund raising costs were 21% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $46,832,995, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
Amnesty incurred joint costs of $4,494,210 for informational materials and activities that included fund raising materials. Of those costs, $4,146,204 was allocated to program expenses and $348,006 was allocated to fund raising expenses.
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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 Amnesty's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008.

Source of Funds  
Contributions from individuals 34,560,097
Bequests and planned giving 4,929,086
Donated services 4,224,264
Events and miscellaneous income 1,950,202
Net realized gains on investments 1,477,315
Grants from foundations 1,042,288
Interest and dividends 779,357
Literature and merchandise sales 481,012
Charitable gift annuity income 466,379
List rental 203,478
Conference fees/regional fundraising 127,058
Net unrealized losses on investments -4,192,510
Total Income $46,048,026


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Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 80%  Fund Raising: 18%  Administrative: 2% 

Total income   $46,048,026
  Program expenses $41,910,299
  Fund raising expenses 9,757,959
  Administrative expenses 1,181,789
 
Total expenses   $52,850,047
Expenses in Excess of Income   (6,802,021)
Beginning net assets   21,632,793
Ending net assets   14,830,772
Total liabilities   10,889,183
Total assets   $25,719,955


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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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