Freedom Service Dogs does not meet the following 3 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.
FSD does not meet this Standard because the organization's board of directors does not:
- Review the performance of the chief executive officer at least once every two years.
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.
FSD 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.
FSD does not meet this Standard because:
- The organization has not completed an effectiveness assessment in the last two years.
Freedom Service Dogs meets the remaining 17 Standards for Charity Accountability.
Freedom Service Dogs (FSD) provides custom-trained service dogs to people with disabilities, including veterans and active-duty military with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), children, teens, and young adults with autism or other neurocognitive disabilities. The organization also provides service dogs to individuals with physical disabilities, such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and more. FSD also provides lifetime support to more than 195 active client-dog teams to ensure that they continue to function together smoothly, while also continuing to meet Assistance Dogs International (ADI) standards. Among FSD?s lifetime support services are refresher training for specific tasks, supplemental training for dogs due to a change in the client?s physical or mental functioning, and behavioral management for dogs. FSD also provides successor dogs when a client?s service dog retires. Some ($208,635 or 6%) of FSD's program activities are conducted in conjunction with informational materials that include fundraising appeals.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, Freedom Service Dogs's program expenses were:
| Dog training and maintenance |
$2,466,491 |
| Public education and other |
$877,918 |
| Total Program Expenses: |
$3,344,409 |
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Chief Executive
Michele Ostrander, President and Chief Executive Officer
-
Compensation*
$177,216
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Chair of the Board
Michelle Search
-
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Director, Sales and Client Service, Jefferson Wells Management Group
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Board Size
15
-
Paid Staff Size
43
*2020 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Grant proposals, Internet, Invitations to fund raising events, Membership appeals, Planned giving arrangements, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Cause- related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.), Television
FSD incurred joint costs of $347,725 for informational materials and activities that included fundraising materials. Of those costs $208,635 was allocated to program expenses and $139,900 was allocated to fundraising expenses.
Fundraising costs were 11% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $4,931,398, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)
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.
The following information is based on Freedom Service Dogs's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020.
| Source of Funds |
| Contributions |
$3,703,801 |
| Private and government grants |
$1,000,572 |
| Fundraising events, net |
$186,631 |
| Unrealized gains |
$182,986 |
| Realized investment income |
$58,870 |
| In-kind donated services and goods |
$40,394 |
| Fees and other income |
$33,841 |
| Total Income |
$5,207,095 |
- Programs: 81%
- Fundraising: 13%
- Administrative: 6%
| Total Income |
$5,207,095 |
| Program expenses |
$3,344,409 |
| Fundraising expenses |
$566,874 |
| Administrative expenses |
$255,310 |
| Other expenses |
$0 |
| Total expenses: |
$4,166,593 |
| Income in Excess of Expenses |
$1,040,502 |
| Beginning Net Assets |
$12,034,578 |
| Other Changes In Net Assets |
$0 |
| Ending Net Assets |
$13,075,080 |
| Total Liabilities |
$607,686 |
| Total Assets |
$13,682,766 |
Note: According to FSD's 2020 audited financial statements, the organization received in-kind contributions totaling $40,394 in the form of dog operation supplies ($36,923) and vet care ($3,471).