BBB Wise Giving Report for
Pachamama Alliance

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


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: Pachamama Alliance
Address: Presidio Building 1009, Second Floor;
Post Office Box 29191
  San Francisco, CA 94129
Phone: 415-561-4522
Web Address: www.pachamama.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1997, California
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: "to preserve the Earth's tropical rainforests by empowering the indigenous people who are its natural custodians and to contribute to the creation of a new global vision of equity and sustainability for all."

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Evaluation Conclusions

               

Pachamama Alliance (Pachamama) does not meet the following Standard for Charity Accountability.

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.

Pachamama does not meet this Standard because:

  • Three members out of the nine member board of directors (33%) are directly compensated.
Pachamama Alliance (Pachamama) meets the remaining 19 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

               

Pachamama works in partnership with the Achuar, Shuar, Shiwiar, and Zapara people of the southern Amazon region in Ecuador and northern Peru. Pachamama's primary focus is on strengthening the indigenous people's ability to speak for and represent their own interests. Additionally, Pachamama's work also focuses on the root causes that are driving the destruction of the rainforest - with the centerpiece being a day-long symposium which inquires into the assumptions and beliefs that allow citizens of the modern world to continue acting and living in a way that is unsustainable. The symposium is the entryway to the Awakening the Dreamer initiative, which explores sustainability, spiritual fulfillment and social justice, and how these issues interrelate.

For the year ended December 31, 2008, Pachamama's program expenses were:

  
Program expenses 2,933,636
Total Program Expenses: $2,933,636
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Governance

               

Chief Executive : Patricia Usner, General Manager, Board Secretary
Compensation*:
 $76,417

Chair of the Board: Basil R. Twist, Jr.
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: President, Champion Securities

Board Size: 9

Paid Staff Size: 15

*2008 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
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Fund Raising

               

Method(s) Used:

Special events, grant proposals, Internet appeals, membership appeals, and point of entry events.
Fund raising costs were 9% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $2,764,231, 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 Pachamama's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 2,655,761
Trip income 345,119
Event income 108,470
Other income 2,029
Investment income -4,987
Total Income $3,106,392


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Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 81%  Fund Raising: 7%  Administrative: 12% 

Total income   $3,106,392
  Program expenses $2,933,636
  Fund raising expenses 236,475
  Administrative expenses 413,021
 
Total expenses   $3,583,132
Expenses in Excess of Income   (476,740)
Beginning net assets   2,519,638
Ending net assets   2,042,898
Total liabilities   578,461
Total assets   $2,621,359


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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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