BBB Wise Giving Report for
Bishop Gassis Sudan Relief Fund

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: Bishop Gassis Sudan Relief Fund
Address: Post Office Box 7084
  Merriffield, VA 22116-9798
Phone: 703-396-7817
Web Address: www.bishopgassis.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1999, Virginia
Affiliates: None

Stated Purpose: "to provide food, clothing, shelter, medical attention and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the Sudan."

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Bishop Gassis Sudan Relief Fund (BGSRF) 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.

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

  • Have an approved conflict of interest policy.

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.

BGSRF does not meet this Standard because:

  • Two meetings of the full governing board were held in the past  year.

Standard 6: Board Policy on Effectiveness - Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

BGSRF does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors does not have a written policy stating that, at least every two years, an appraisal be done assessing the organization’s performance and effectiveness and determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

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.

BGSRF does not meet this Standard because:

  • It has not completed an effectiveness assessment in the past two years and does not have one planned for the near future.

Standard 14: Budget - Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration.

BGSRF does not meet this Standard because, when the organization provided budget information, it indicated that the budget:

  • Did not identify total projected fund raising expenses.
  • Did not identify total projected administrative expenses.

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.

BGSRF does not meet this standard because:

  • The organization states it does not have an annual report covering activities conducted in the past year.

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.

BGSRF does not meet this Standard because its website, www.bishopgassis.org does not:

  • Have a privacy policy that includes the recommended information.
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.
BGSRF meets the remaining 12 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

BGSRF provides healthcare, shelter, and education to the people of Sudan. The organization provides medicines, vaccines and items such as first-aid ointments, bandages and soap. The organization is also involved in providing resettlement kits to refugees. Furthermore, BGSRF constructs basic housing for catechists and teachers in order for them to have a clean and safe place to live while doing the work of God in the diocese. BGSRF also caters to children orphaned by war through providing them with housing, food, clothing, and education.

For the year ended December 31, 2009, BGSRF's program expenses were:

  
Program services 1,582,043
Total Program Expenses: $1,582,043
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Neil Corkery, Executive Director
Compensation*:
$135,200

Chair of the Board: Bishop Macram M. Gassis
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Bishop, El Obeid Diocese, Sudan

Board Size: 7

Paid Staff Size: 1

*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 and Internet appeals.
Fund raising costs were 15% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $2,319,289, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
BGSRF incurred joint costs of $567,139 for informational materials and activities that included fund raising materials. Of those costs, $337,135 was allocated to fund raising expenses and $230,004 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 BGSRF's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 2,319,289
Interest and dividends 9,130
Losss on investment -11,099
Total Income $2,317,320


chart



Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 80%  Fund Raising: 17%  Administrative: 3% 

Total income   $2,317,320
  Program expenses $1,582,043
  Fund raising expenses 337,135
  Administrative expenses 63,185
 
Total expenses   $1,982,363
Income in Excess of Expenses   334,957
Beginning net assets   2,447,271
Ending net assets   2,782,228
Total liabilities   0
Total assets   $2,782,228


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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.

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