Standard 1: Oversight of Operations and Staff - Organizations shall have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. Indication of adequate oversight includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled appraisals of the CEO's performance, evidence of disbursement controls such as board approval of the budget, fund raising practices, establishment of a conflict of interest policy, and establishment of accounting procedures sufficient to safeguard charity finances.
PLI does not meet this Standard because its board of directors does not:
- Have a voting member of the board who is assigned the responsibility of serving as the treasurer. In general, the board’s treasurer helps provide independent oversight of the organization’s finances.
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.
PLI does not meet this Standard because:
- Its effectiveness assessment policy does not specify that its assessment will take place at least once every two years.
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.
PLI does not meet this Standard because, when the organization provided budget information, it indicated that the budget:
- Did not identify expenses for each major program activity.
- Did not identify total projected fund raising expenses.
- Did not identify total projected administrative expenses.
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.
PLI does not meet this standard because:
- Although the organization indicates it produced an annual report, a copy was not provided.
Standard 17: Web Site Disclosures - Include on any charity websites that solicit contributions, the same information that is recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990.
PLI does not meet this Standard because the organization's website, www.pointsoflight.org, does not include all of the recommended information for those charity websites that solicit for donations. Specifically, it does not include:
- Total income.
- Total program expenses.
- Total fund raising expenses.
- Total administrative expenses.
- End of year net assets.
- Electronic access to the organization’s most recent IRS Form 990.