BBB Wise Giving Report for
William J. Clinton Foundation

BBB Wise Giving Report issued January 2010
BBB Wise Giving Report expires January 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: William J. Clinton Foundation
Address: 1200 President Clinton Avenue
  Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-748-0471
212-348-8882
Web Address: www.clintonfoundation.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1997, Arkansas
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: "to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence."

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Evaluation Conclusions

               

William J. Clinton Foundation (The Foundation) does not meet the following 7 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.

The Foundation does not meet this Standard because its board of directors does not:

  • Approve the organization’s budget.
  • Receive information about the financial arrangements made with outside fund raising firm(s) and/or consultant(s) hired in the past year.
  • 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 2: Number of Board Members - Soliciting organizations shall have a board of directors with a minimum of five voting members.

The Foundation does not meet this Standard because:

  • The organization has three voting members of the board of directors.

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.

The Foundation does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors held no board meetings in the last year.

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.

The Foundation does not meet this Standard because:

  • The paid chief executive officer also serves as the chair of the board of directors.

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.

  • The Foundation does not meet this Standard because it has not conducted an organizational effectiveness assessment in the past 2 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.

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

  • A roster of the board of directors
  • End of year net assets

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.

The Foundation does not meet this Standard because the organization's website, www.clintonfoundation.org, does not include all of recommended information for those charity websites that solicit for donations. Specifically, it does not include:

  • A roster of the board of directors.
William J. Clinton Foundation (The Foundation) meets the remaining 13 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

               

The Foundation collaborates with educational institutions, businesses, governments and other partner organizations on domestic and foreign projects in the areas of health security, economic empowerment, leadership development and citizen service, and racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation. The Foundation reports that the HIV/AIDS Initiative has obtained AIDS medicines and HIV testing for more than 750,000 people in 66 developing countries at reduced prices and delivers treatments to rural areas. The Clinton Global Initiative is a non-partisan gathering of global leaders to devise and implement solutions to some of the world's challenges and address poverty alleviation, global health, religious conflict and reconciliation, and climate change. The Clinton Presidential Center features 20,000 square feet of museum space. The Foundation is a partner in the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which takes action to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in the United States. Through the Healthy Schools Program, the Alliance has engaged schools across the country and reached agreements with beverage and snack food manufacturers to implement new guidelines for products served in schools. The Clinton Economic Opportunity Initiative supports entrepreneurs and small business owners and raises awareness of the earned income tax credit. Through the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Foundation serves as a partner of an association of 40 of the world’s largest cities dedicated to tackling climate change.

For the year ended December 31, 2007, The Foundation's program expenses were:

  
Program services 128,578,304
Total Program Expenses: $128,578,304
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Governance

               

Chief Executive : Bruce R. Lindsey, Chief Executive Officer
Compensation*:
 $269,208

Chair of the Board: Bruce R. Lindsey
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: CEO

Board Size: 3

Paid Staff Size: 765

*2007 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, grant proposals, Internet appeals, cause-related marketing, and membership appeals.
Fund raising costs were 3% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $126,977,951, 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 The Foundation's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2007.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 80,375,951
Grants 43,761,032
Investment return 3,024,588
In-kind 2,840,968
Other 2,501,766
Total Income $132,504,305


chart



Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 90%  Fund Raising: 2%  Administrative: 2%  Other Expenses: 6%

Total income   $132,504,305
  Program expenses $128,578,304
  Fund raising expenses 3,479,565
  Administrative expenses 3,451,431
  Other Expenses 8,085,310
Total expenses   $143,594,610
Expenses in Excess of Income   (11,090,305)
Beginning net assets   208,343,203
Ending net assets   197,252,898
Total liabilities   55,046,443
Total assets   $252,299,341

Note 1: The Foundation's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2007 report gifts of in-kind income of $2,840,968. This amount consists of air travel, office space, and goods.

Note 2: Other expenses represents provision for uncollectible pledges.

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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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