BBB Wise Giving Report for
Amazon Conservation Team

BBB Wise Giving Report issued September 2011
BBB Wise Giving Report expires September 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: Amazon Conservation Team
Address: 4211 North Fairfax Drive
  Arlington, VA 22203
Phone: 703-522-4684
Web Address: www.amazonteam.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1996, Virginia
Affiliates: 3 chapters

Stated Purpose: "to develop and manage a series of scientific and conservation-oriented projects in the Americas."

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) does not meet the following 5 Standards for Charity Accountability.

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.

ACT 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.

ACT does not meet this Standard because:

  • It has not completed an effectiveness assessment in the past two years.

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.

ACT does not meet this standard because the 2009 annual report did not include:

  • Total fund raising expenses.
  • Total administrative expenses.
  • Total end of year net assets.

Standard 18: Privacy for Written Appeals & Internet Privacy - Address privacy concerns of donors by (a) providing in written appeals, at least annually, a means (e.g., such as a check off box) for both new and continuing donors to inform the charity if they do not want their name and address shared outside the organization, (b) providing a clear, prominent and easily accessible privacy policy on any of its websites that tells visitors (i) what information, if any, is being collected about them by the charity and how this information will be used, (ii) how to contact the charity to review personal information collected and request corrections, (iii) how to inform the charity (e.g., a check off box) that the visitor does not wish his/her personal information to be shared outside the organization, and (iv) what security measures the charity has in place to protect personal information.

ACT does not meet this Standard because the privacy policy on this website, www.amazonteam.org does not indicate:

  • What personal information is being collected and how it will be used.
  • What security measures are in place to protect personal information that is collected.

Standard 19: Cause Related Marketing - Clearly disclose how the charity benefits from the sale of products or services (i.e., cause-related marketing) that state or imply that a charity will benefit from a consumer sale or transaction. Such promotions should disclose, at the point of solicitation: (a) the actual or anticipated portion of the purchase price that will benefit the charity (e.g., 5 cents will be contributed to abc charity for every xyz company product sold), (b) the duration of the campaign (e.g., the month of October), (c) any maximum or guaranteed minimum contribution amount (e.g., up to a maximum of $200,000).

ACT does not meet this Standard because, in the past year the organization participated in the promotion for the sale of a consumer good (cereal) that indicates that the organization will benefit from purchases. The promotion, however, did not specify:

  • The actual or anticipated amount of the purchase price that will benefit the organization.
In addition, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance requested but did not receive complete information on the organization’s solicitation materials and is unable to verify the organization's compliance with the following Standard for Charity Accountability: 15.
ACT meets the remaining 14 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

ACT works in partnership with indigenous communities of tropical South America to protect biodiversity, improve human and ecological health and fortify traditional culture. The organization reports that it has worked with over 30 indigenous groups and the governments of Brazil, Colombia, and Suriname to map and lay the essential groundwork for the protection of over 70 million acres of ancestral rainforests.

For the year ended December 31, 2010, ACT's program expenses were:

  
Biodiversity 2,195,680
Culture 736,772
Health 498,723
Total Program Expenses: $3,431,175
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Mark J. Plotkin, President
Compensation*:
$156,339

Chair of the Board: Margaret B. Clark
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Conservationist

Board Size: 13

Paid Staff Size: 73

*2009 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, planned giving, Internet appeals, and grant proposals.
Fund raising costs were 5% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $2,787,334, 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 ACT's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 1,565,682
Grants 1,221,652
Investment income 10,142
Other 8,282
Total Income $2,805,758


chart



Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 79%  Fund Raising: 3%  Administrative: 18% 

Total income   $2,805,758
  Program expenses $3,431,175
  Fund raising expenses 135,735
  Administrative expenses 797,557
 
Total expenses   $4,364,467
Expenses in Excess of Income   (1,558,709)
Beginning net assets   3,826,653
Ending net assets   2,267,944
Total liabilities   278,631
Total assets   $2,546,575


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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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