BBB Wise Giving Report for
Pacific Legal Foundation

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: Pacific Legal Foundation
Address: 3900 Lennane Drive, Suite 200
  Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone: 916-419-7111
Web Address: www.pacificlegal.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1973, California
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: "to champion constitutional rights, fight and win decisive actions in the courts of law and the court of public opinion to rescue liberty from the grasp of government power."

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) does not meet the following Standard for Charity Accountability.

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.

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

  • A roster of the board of directors.
  • A complete listing of revenue sources (losses), including an investment loss, and a change in value of charitable remainder trust assets.  This makes the percentages calculated and listed in the annual report inaccurate.
Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) meets the remaining 19 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

PLF provides pro bono litigation representation to property owners, business owners, and other victims of government action. PLF operates its national litigation center in Sacramento, with regional litigation centers in Washington state, Florida, and Hawaii, responding to the needs of citizens to represent them against government agencies and special interest groups. PLF’s goal is to strategically select only those cases that present the best opportunity to set legal precedents that broadly benefit Americans in safeguarding their fundamental freedoms. PLF has three active practice groups: The Individual Rights Practice Group fights for the elimination of government-sponsored racial and gender discrimination in public education, contracting, and employment; PLF’s Property Rights Practice Group defends the rights of property owners to make reasonable use of their property. Through its Center for Constitutional Liberty, PLF litigates cases in various federal judicial circuits with facts that offer the best opportunities for challenging the expansion of federal power and limiting federal authority to the powers enumerated in the Constitution. Other PLF programs include the Free Enterprise Project/Economic Liberty Project, Program for Choice and Innovation in Education, Endangered Species Act Reform Project, the Coastal Land Rights Project, and Western Water Law Program.

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

  
Legal activities 4,716,618
Public education 1,194,882
Total Program Expenses: $5,911,500
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Robin L. Rivett, President and CEO
Compensation*:
$311,880

Chair of the Board: John C. Harris
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Chairman/CEO, Harris Farms, Inc.

Board Size: 19

Paid Staff Size: 53

*2008 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, radio, grant proposals, Internet appeals, planned giving, and membership appeals.
Fund raising costs were 20% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $8,389,900, 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 PLF's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 5,841,995
Grants 2,547,905
Court awarded attorney fees 1,440,577
Other income 54,079
Investment loss -1,245,011
Change in value of charitable remainder trust assets -1,762,075
Total Income $6,877,470


chart



Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 70%  Fund Raising: 20%  Administrative: 10% 

Total income   $6,877,470
  Program expenses $5,911,500
  Fund raising expenses 1,650,916
  Administrative expenses 884,911
 
Total expenses   $8,447,327
Expenses in Excess of Income   (1,569,857)
Beginning net assets   11,773,138
Ending net assets   10,203,281
Total liabilities   2,199,043
Total assets   $12,402,324


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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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