BBB Wise Giving Report for
Free Wheelchair Mission

BBB Wise Giving Report issued April 2012
BBB Wise Giving Report expires April 2014


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: Free Wheelchair Mission
Address: 15279 Alton Parkway, Suite 300
  Irvine, CA 92618
Phone: 949-273-8470
800-733-0858
Web Address: www.freewheelchairmission.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 2001, California
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: "to transform lives through the gift of mobility to the physically disabled poor in developing countries as motivated by Jesus Christ.”

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM) does not meet the following 3 Standards for Charity Accountability.

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.

FWM 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 12: Detailed Functional Breakdown of Expenses - Include in the financial statements a breakdown of expenses (e.g., salaries, travel, postage, etc.) that shows what portion of these expenses was allocated to program, fund raising, and administrative activities. If the charity has more than one major program category, the schedule should provide a breakdown for each category.

FWM does not meet this Standard because, in the organization's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011, the detailed functional breakdown of expenses:

  • Was not included. A detailed functional breakdown shows expenses by natural classification (e.g., salaries, travel, postage, etc.) and indicates what portion of these expenses was allocated to program, fund raising, and administrative activities).

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.

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

  • How to contact the charity to review personal information that is collected and request corrections.
  • What security measures are in place to protect personal information that is collected.
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.
Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM) meets the remaining 16 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

FWM provides free wheelchairs to people with disabilities in developing countries. The organization reports that it distributed a free wheelchair to more than 82,500 in its fiscal year ended March 31, 2011.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011, FWM's program expenses were:

  
Wheelchair program 4,374,232
Total Program Expenses: $4,374,232
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Donald Schoendorfer, PhD, President
Compensation*:
$166,127

Chair of the Board: Jim Franklin
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: President of Harbro

Board Size: 7

Paid Staff Size: 19

*April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2011 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, print advertisements, planned giving, and grant proposals.
Fund raising costs were 23% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $5,924,646, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
FWM incurred joint costs of $41,393 for informational materials and activities that included fund raising materials. Of those costs, $20,753 was allocated to fund raising expenses and $20,640 was allocated to program 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 FWM's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 5,907,011
Event ticket sales 55,123
Gift-in-kind 17,635
Other income 2,558
Total Income $5,982,327


chart



Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 70%  Fund Raising: 22%  Administrative: 8% 

Total income   $5,982,327
  Program expenses $4,374,232
  Fund raising expenses 1,344,354
  Administrative expenses 467,984
 
Total expenses   $6,186,570
Expenses in Excess of Income   (204,243)
Beginning net assets   1,335,111
Ending net assets   1,130,868
Total liabilities   372,255
Total assets   $1,503,123

Note: For 2010, FWM reported in-kind income of $17,635 for shipping.

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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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