BBB Wise Giving Report for
Ashoka

BBB Wise Giving Report issued November 2011
BBB Wise Giving Report expires November 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: Ashoka
Address: 1700 North Moore Street,
Suite 2000
  Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: 703-527-8300
Web Address: www.ashoka.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1980, Virginia
Affiliates: None

Stated Purpose: "to shape a global, entrepreneurial, competitive citizen sector that allows social entrepreneurs to thrive and enables the world's citizens to think and act as changemakers."

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Ashoka does not meet the following 4 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Standard 3: Frequency and Attendance of Board Meetings - An organization shall have a minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with face-to-face participation. A conference call of the full board can substitute for one of the three meetings of the governing body. For all meetings, alternative modes of participation are acceptable for those with physical disabilities.

Ashoka does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors held two meetings of the full governing board in the fiscal year ended August 30, 2010.

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.

Ashoka does not meet this Standard because:

  • The paid chief executive officer also serves as the chair of the board of directors.

Standard 6: Board Policy on Effectiveness - Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

Ashoka does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors does not have a written policy stating that, at least every two years, an appraisal be done assessing the organization’s performance and effectiveness and determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

Standard 7: Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness - Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.

Ashoka does not meet this Standard because:

  • Although it has produced a written effectiveness assessment report, the report did not include recommendations for future actions and it was not submitted for approval to the board of directors.
Ashoka meets the remaining 16 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

Ashoka supports social entrepreneurs (Ashoka fellows) with a living stipend for an average of three years, allowing them to focus full-time on building their institutions and spreading their ideas. The organization also provides its fellows with a global support network of their peers and partnerships with professional consultants. Additionally, Ashoka promotes group entrepreneurship programs through which the organization engages communities of entrepreneurs and develops patterns of collaborations. Furthermore, Ashoka reports that it is building an infrastructure that supports the growth and expansion of the field of social entrepreneurship, including seed financing and capital, bridges to the business and academic sectors, and strategic partnerships that deliver social and financial value.

For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2010, Ashoka's program expenses were:

  
Leading social entrepreneurs 10,806,571
New architecture 9,592,858
Group entrepreneurship 7,843,654
Idea spread and education 815,836
Total Program Expenses: $29,058,919
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Bill Drayton, Founder and CEO
Compensation*:
$122,580

Highest Paid Executive: Maria V. Budinich,Manager
Compensation*: $145,216

Chair of the Board: William Drayton
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Founder and CEO of Ashoka

Board Size: 7

Paid Staff Size: 114

*September 1, 2009 - August 31, 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 membership appeals.
Fund raising costs were 9% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $29,071,813, 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 Ashoka's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2010.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 24,788,356
Contributed services 4,257,948
Income on investments 358,714
Interest income 110,179
Contributions from federated campaigns 23,009
Miscellaneous income 2,964
Endowment fund support 2,500
Realized and unrealized losses on investments -780,005
Total Income $28,763,665


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Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 84%  Fund Raising: 8%  Administrative: 8% 

Total income   $28,763,665
  Program expenses $29,058,919
  Fund raising expenses 2,673,067
  Administrative expenses 2,794,035
 
Total expenses   $34,526,021
Expenses in Excess of Income   (5,762,356)
Beginning net assets   60,321,936
Other Changes in Net Assets (617,069)
Ending net assets   53,942,511
Total liabilities   14,770,456
Total assets   $68,712,967

Note 1: In the above financial summary, "other changes in net assets" represents foreign exchange losses.

Note 2: According to Ashoka's financial statements for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2010, the organization received in-kind contributions in the amount of $4,257,948 which represents donated services from consultants in the fields of law, public relations, television, and strategic planning.

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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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