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Ratings & Metrics
Joint Costs
Best Friends Animal Society's rating was adjusted for Joint Costs. If you are a donor who considers direct mail, telemarketing, and other Joint Cost solicitations to be true charitable programs, the below efficiency ratios, which were not adjusted for joint costs, may better reflect your goals.
| Program % | Cost to Raise $100 |
|---|---|
| 74% | $15 |
Accounting rules allow charities to report some telemarketing, direct mail, and other solicitation costs as Program expenses. CharityWatch believes that most donors do not consider a charity's solicitation activities to be the Programs they are intending to support with their donations. We therefore adjust such expenses out of a charity's reported Program expense and add it to Fundraising expense prior to calculating its rating.
Financial Documents
| Entity | Document Type | Tax ID |
|---|---|---|
| Best Friends Animal Society | IRS Form 990 | 23-7147797 |
| Best Friends Animal Society & Subsidiaries | Consolidated Audited Financial Statements | Multiple |
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Entity: Best Friends Animal Society Document Type: IRS Form 990 Tax ID: 23-7147797 |
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Entity: Best Friends Animal Society & Subsidiaries Document Type: Consolidated Audited Financial Statements Tax ID: Multiple |
Governance & Transparency
CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
Top Salaries
| Name | Title | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Susan M. Citro | CDO | $219,234 |
| 2 | Karen Gallardo | Director of Planned Giving | $215,072 |
| 3 | Gregory Castle | CEO | $209,003 |
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1 Name: Susan M. Citro Title: CDO Compensation: $219,234 |
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2 Name: Karen Gallardo Title: Director of Planned Giving Compensation: $215,072 |
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3 Name: Gregory Castle Title: CEO Compensation: $209,003 |
Analysts' Notes
CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.
| According to the Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) consolidated audit of September 30, 2017 (Note 1, Contributed Goods and Services), BFAS received in-kind contributed goods and services in fiscal 2017 on which it placed a total value of approximately $28,383,000. Included in this amount is a reported total of $25,464,000 for "in-kind advertising in the form of television, radio, or other media forms." [Note: CharityWatch generally excludes the value of in-kind (non-cash) donations of goods and services from its calculations of Program % and Cost to Raise $100. More information on how grades are calculated and the treatment of in-kind donations can be found on the Our Process page.] |
| According to the Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) tax filing for the fiscal year-ended September 30, 2017, BFAS paid employee compensation to six "interested persons," all of whom are reported as having either a family or spousal relationship with a BFAS board member or officer. The per employee compensation paid ranged from $31,166 to $185,689 and totaled $572,632 (IRS Form 990, Schedule L, Parts IV & V). |
| According to the Best Friends Animal Society consolidated audit of September 30, 2017 (Note 18, Commitments and Contingencies, Founders Retirement Program and Superseding Founder Post Employment Services Agreement): "On April 29, 2011, the board of directors approved a 'Post Employment Services Agreement' that replaced a Founders Retirement Program. A change to the Bylaws of Best Friends on April 29, 2011 was also approved with the change establishing a standing committee to the board of directors, the Emeritus Founder Advisory Committee (Committee). This Committee was established to formalize the continued contributions that founders (no longer working full-time at Best Friends) make, plus provide them a forum directly with the board. "Members of the Committee provide services to Best Friends under their Post Employment Services Agreement. In exchange for the related services, the participating founders are entitled to bi-monthly payments as per the Post Employment Services Agreement. All founders who are no longer employed full-time by Best Friends are eligible to participate in this service-based agreement if they choose to do so. Ten founders were active under this program during the year ended September 30, 2017 and received compensation totaling $519,752..." |
| According to the Best Friends Animal Society consolidated audit of September 30, 2017 (Note 17, Acquisition): "On October 1, 2016, Best Friends acquired the assets and assumed all liabilities of Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption, Inc. (APRA), a not-for-profit corporation. The board of trustees of APRA authorized the transfer of the assets and liabilities to Best Friends. No consideration was given and a contribution was recorded for the net amount. The primary reason for the acquisition was to fulfill the mission of Best Friends by expanding its national presence..." The fair value of the net assets contributed as of the acquisition date amounted to $509,541, according to Note 17. |