Camp
CoHoLo
Children’s Cancer Camps of
Nebraska
Compliance with BBB Wise Giving
Alliance Charity Standards
The national Better Business Bureau,
as well as its local chapters, support integrity in both for-profit and
non-profit operations. To encourage
continued support of charitable organizations, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance (http://www.give.org/) was formed in 2001 to
collect and distribute information on non-profit organizations that solicit
nationally. While Camp CoHoLo is
very much a local charity, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance also established twenty
Charity Standards that the Alliance encourages charities, whether national or
local, to follow. Camp CoHolo’s
compliance with the twenty Charity Standards is listed
below.
1.
A board of directors that provides
adequate oversight of the charity’s operations and its staff.
The Camp CoHoLo Board of Directors
meets regularly to review the minutes and activities of the Operations
Committee, a collection of volunteers headed by the Camp Director that is
responsible for planning and running the annual camp. The Camp Director attends each Board
meeting, and regular agenda items include reports on operational, public
relations, fundraising, finance and legal issues.
The Chief Financial Officer prepares
quarterly financial statements and reviews all receipts and disbursements prior
to preparing his report for the Board meeting, and the Board devotes the
majority of the joint Board/Operations Committee meeting in October to reviewing
the successes and setbacks of the camp held the previous July. The Board reviews summaries of the
parent/camper evaluations and volunteer evaluations to determine if policy
and/or staffing changes are required.
The Board president and several
other Board members visit the camp at least once each year to provide
operational oversight, meet with volunteers and interact with the children. Their observations are also reported at
the joint meeting in October.
2.
A board of directors with a minimum
of five voting members.
According to the attached Bylaws for the Children’s Cancer Camps of Nebraska, the Board of Directors shall consist of not less than eleven nor more than seventeen directors. As of January 1, 2007, there are seventeen Board members.
3.
A minimum of three evenly spaced
meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with
face-to-face participation.
Consistent with the bylaws, the Board of Directors meets each year in January, March, May, July and October. The meeting dates are scheduled to facilitate planning for and review of the camp held each year in late July.
4.
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.
Camp CoHoLo does not compensate any individuals, directly or indirectly, for their efforts to support the mission of Camp CoHoLo. There are no paid staff members of Camp CoHoLo.
5.
No transaction(s) in which any board
or staff members have material conflicting interests with the charity resulting
from any relationship or business affiliation.
All material transactions of Camp
CoHoLo are reviewed at the Board level.
In many instances, transactions are executed with the assistance of Board
members to allow Camp CoHoLo to acquire products or services at a deep discount
compared to market prices. For
example, a Board member arranged for the printing of Camp CoHoLo brochures using
a printing company that provided a discount of approximately 80% off retail
prices.
There have been two areas of
potential conflict of interest in the past five years, although the Board
reviewed both issues and determined there was no conflict. In the first situation, the fundraising
committee chairperson invested excess funds, after Board approval, in mutual
funds in Camp CoHoLo’s name using his stockbroker’s license. The chairperson waived any commission on
this and subsequent investment transactions. In the second situation, the CFO
approved the purchase of a certificate of deposit, at advertised rates and
consistent with general market conditions, at a bank where the Board President
is employed as the bank president.
This transaction was also approved by the Board.
6.
Have a board policy of assessing, no
less than every two years, the organization’s performance and effectiveness and
determining future actions required to achieve its
mission.
Because the mission of Camp CoHoLo revolves around the effective operation of the annual camp, the Board of Directors is exceptionally focused on reviewing the performance of this event. As noted in the response to Standard 1 above, the Board of Directors devotes its October meeting to reviewing camp operations, both subjectively (observations by Operations Committee and Board visitors) and objectively (evaluations from campers, parents and cabin counselors). Operational changes and refinements are generally proposed and quickly affirmed at this meeting.
7.
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 recommendation
for future actions.
Although the Board of Directors and Operations Committee do perform these steps, a written report summarizing the evaluation and recommendations is currently not prepared. The Board of Directors intends to implement this Standard following the July 2005 camp.
8.
Spend at least 65% of its total
expenses on program activities.
Formula for Standard 8:
Total Program Service Expenses ($48,669)
Total Expenses ($53,749)
= 91% in 2006
Formula for Standard 8:
Total Program Service Expenses ($33,952)
Total Expenses ($36,538)
= 93% in 2005
The ratio was 94% for both 2004 and
2003. For the years 2003 – 2006,
the average ratio was 92% of total expenses.
9.
Spend no more than 35% of related
contributions on fund raising.
Formula for Standard 9:
Total fundraising
expenses ($1,405)
Total related contributions ($53,749) = 3% in 2006
Formula for Standard 9:
Total fundraising
expenses ($200)
Total related contributions ($36,538) = 1% in 2005
The ratio was 1% and 0%,
respectively, in 2004 and 2003. For
the years 2003 – 2006, the average ratio was 1% of total
donations.
10. Avoid accumulating funds that could
be used for current program activities.
To meet this standard, the charity’s unrestricted net assets available
for use should not be more than three times the size of the past year’s expenses
or three times the size of the current year’s budget, which ever is
higher.
The Board of Directors hopes to
establish an endowment fund to support the long-term viability of Camp CoHoLo
and to expand the number of children it can serve. In particular, the Board of Directors is
exploring the possibility of launching a camp for the siblings of children with
cancer and blood disorders. The
margin of receipts over expenses has ranged from a negative $6,507 to a positive
$33,849 over the past five years, with an average annual surplus of
$18,318. These surpluses, combined
with reasonable investment returns, have allowed the fund balance to increase
from $146,162 at September 30, 2004 to $240,645 at September 30, 2006.
The total expenses for fiscal year
2006 were $53,749, so three years of expenses would equal $161,247. The BBB Standard indicates that the
charity’s unrestricted assets should be no more than three year’s expenses. However, since the Board of Directors is
attempting to establish a restricted endowment fund to support Camp CoHoLo, this
excess balance of unrestricted funds is expected to be a short-term
situation.
11. Make available to all, on request,
complete annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles.
Camp CoHoLo provides annual financial statements and annual tax returns to all persons and organizations requesting such information. The annual financial statements and tax returns are prepared by the Chief Financial Officer, who previously practiced as a certified public accountant.
12. 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.
The financial statements for Camp CoHoLo, summarized in the Annual Report, adhere to this Standard.
13. Accurately report the charity’s
expenses, including any joint cost allocations, in its financial
statements.
Camp CoHoLo’s expenses are accurately reflected in the Annual Report posted at http://www.campcoholo.com/.
14. Have a board-approved budget for its
current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program categories,
fund raising and administration.
The Operations Committee submits an annual budget for approval by the Board of Directors at the annual October joint meeting.
15. Have solicitations and informational
materials, distributed by any means, that are accurate, truthful and not
misleading, both in whole and in part.
The primary Camp CoHoLo brochure, distributed to potential campers, volunteers and donors, truthfully represents the charity and its operations. Camp CoHoLo rarely sends solicitations for donations.
16. 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;
(e)
total income for the past fiscal
year;
(f)
expenses in the same program, fund
raising and administrative categories as in the financial statements,
and
(g) ending net
assets.
The
Annual Report for Camp CoHoLo is posted on the charity’s official website at http://www.campcoholo.com/.
17. 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 2006 annual report was added to
http://www.campcoholo.com/ in late
March 2007. An electronic version
of the IRS Form 990 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2006 was also posted
to the website in March 2007.
18. 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, and
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.
Camp CoHoLo does not perform annual
appeals to donors, and does not actively re-solicit former donors for additional
contributions. However, the website
at http://www.campcoholo.com/ has been
revised to include the information summarized in Standard 18b. Donor information is maintained on an
Excel spreadsheet by the CFO and cannot be accessed
remotely.
19. Clearly disclose how the charity
benefits from the sale of products or services (i.e., cause-related marketing)
that state or imply that a charity will benefit from a consumer sale or
transaction. Such promotions should
disclose, at the point of solicitation:
(a)
The actual or anticipated portion of
the purchase price that will benefit the charity (e.g., 5 cents will be
contributed to ABC charity for every XYZ company product
sold);
(b) The duration of the campaign (e.g.,
the month of October);
(c)
Any maximum or guaranteed minimum
contribution amount (e.g., up to a maximum of
$200,000).
Camp CoHoLo does not engage in any type of fundraising solicitations or product sales that would require such disclosure.
20. Respond promptly to and act on
complaints brought to its attention by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and/or local
Better Business Bureau about fund raising practices, privacy policy violations
and/or other issues.
The Board of Directors, Operations Committee and volunteers of Camp CoHoLo are committed to pursuing the Camp CoHoLo mission and goals in an ethical manner. If a complaint was received, the Board of Directors would respond in a manner consistent with the ideals of the Better Business Bureau.
Camp CoHoLo was honored by the BBB Serving Nebraska, Southwestern Iowa and South Dakota with an Integrity Award in May 2005 in recognition of its service to children.