BBB Wise Giving Report for
Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation

BBB Wise Giving Report issued March 2011
BBB Wise Giving Report expires March 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: Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation
Address: 10045 Riverside Drive, 3rd Floor
  Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Phone: 877-957-7575
877-957-7575
Web Address: www.wrinstitute.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1936, New York
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: "to perpetuate the memory of Will Rogers by promoting and engaging in medical research pertaining to cardio-pulmonary diseases and educating the general public on topics of health and fitness."

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation (WRMPPF) does not meet the following 5 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.

WRMPPF does not meet this Standard because its board of directors does not:

  • Review the performance of the chief executive officer at least once every two years.

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.

WRMPPF does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors held two meetings in the past fiscal year.

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.

WRMPPF does not meet this Standard because:

  • Although it has produced a written effectiveness assessment report, the report did not include recommendations for future actions.

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.

WRMPPF does not meet this standard because the most recent annual report did not include:

  • 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.

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

  • How personal information collected is being used.
  • 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 finances and fundraising disclosures and is unable to verify the organization's compliance with the following 2 Standards for Charity Accountability: 14 and 19.
Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation (WRMPPF) meets the remaining 13 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

WRMPPF funds pulmonary research in three labs at USC, UCLA, and Burke Rehabilitation Hospital as well as medical fellowships at 10 medical schools in the United States. WRMPPF also works to provide neonatal ventilators for hospitals in need of such equipment. The organization assists members of the theatrical community with financial assistance through its patient assistance program. The program offers access to pulmonary specialists throughout the United States and provides health fairs at industry conventions.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010, WRMPPF's program expenses were:

  
Research 3,459,033
Health education 1,177,755
Assistance 1,150,903
Total Program Expenses: $5,787,691
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Todd Vradenburg, Executive Director
Compensation*:
$303,459

Chair of the Board: Jeffrey Goldstein
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: VP, Domestic Distribution for Warner Brothers Studios

Board Size: 30

Paid Staff Size: 6

*April 1, 2008 - March 31, 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, and movie theatre public service announcements.
Fund raising costs were 11% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $5,458,861, 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 WRMPPF's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010.

Source of Funds  
Public support 5,458,861
Investment income 2,732,761
Total Income $8,191,622


chart



Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 85%  Fund Raising: 9%  Administrative: 6% 

Total income   $8,191,622
  Program expenses $5,787,691
  Fund raising expenses 622,862
  Administrative expenses 430,985
 
Total expenses   $6,841,538
Income in Excess of Expenses   1,350,084
Beginning net assets   19,216,097
Ending net assets   20,566,181
Total liabilities   2,116,069
Total assets   $22,682,250

Note: According to audited financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2010, WRMPPF received $526,329 in in-kind contributions, which included advertising time ($438,610) and rent ($87,719).

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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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