BBB Charity Report for
Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains, Inc

A BBB Accredited charity since 7/14/2008


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Reported on Monday, November 23, 2009 4:23 AM

Evaluation Conclusions

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Tax Status 501(c)(3)

This organization has been evaluated in relation to the 20 Better Business Bureau Standards for Charitable Accountability. This organization meets all those standards.

Purpose

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Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains, Inc. states its purpose is to build girls of courage, confidence and character that make the world a better place . They serve girls ages 5-17.

With encouragement and support of their national organization (Girl Scouts of the USA), they improve their service strategy by merging four Girl Scouts councils in to a single high capacity council, collectively enhancing their ability to serve girls living in the Texas Oklahoma Plains area (including Guymon, Oklahoma, Abilene, Amarillo, Fort Worth, Lubbock and Wichita Falls, TX) This process is referred to as Realignment and ensures more girls are reached with this proven leadership development program.

Programs

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Signature programs provide opportunities for purposeful leadership and service to the community. Areas of service include activities regarding Intergenerational Education, Women's Health and Literacy.

Intergenerational Education focuses on connecting youth with senior citizens residing at nursing homes or assisted living centers. Events were held around the Council to celebrate Grandparent's Day in September 2008, bringing together Girl Scouts with the elderly. Throughout the year troops "adopted" a facility, visited residents and completed service projects for the facility where all generations were able to learn from each other.

Women's Health programs focus on healthy living, disease prevention, physical fitness and good nutrition. A strong emphasis is through the Pink Connection program which promotes breast cancer awareness and prevention programs for girls and their mothers. The founder of Girl Scouting, Juliette Gordon Low, died of breast cancer. To honor her memory, Girl scout Juniors created Think Pink beaded bracelets for breast cancer survivors participating in Race for the Cure events in two regions. In addition, Girl Scout teens participate in workshops to earn the In the Pink Interest Project Patch and in Daisies in Bloom, a health education brunch and fashion show. These events are held in partnership with the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Literacy programs included activities for Girl Scout Daisies such as Green Eggs and Ham with classic storytelling fun. Teen girls attended Girl University, an activity to encourage high school graduation and higher education.

GS-TOP offered a Council-sponsored international trip for ten girls to visit Pax Lodge in London, one of the four World Centers in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Fund Raising Methods

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Direct mail appeals, invitations to fund raising events and grant proposal.

Financial Summary

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According to the IRS Form 990 for the Fiscal Year ended 12/31/2007:

Total Income $4,250,926
Total Expense $4,219,136
Gain (loss) for the year $121,052

Expense Breakdown
Item Amount % of Expenses
Programs $3,589,920 85.10%
Fund Raising $179,271 4.20%
Administrative $449,945 10.70%
Miscellaneous $0 .00%

Charity Contact and Profile

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Name:
Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains, Inc
Phone:
(817) 737-7272
Address:
4901 BRIARHAVEN RD, FORT WORTH, TX 76109-4499
      Google map  Mapquest map  Yahoo map
eMail:
Web Address:
www.gs-top.org
BBB file opened:
April 01, 1983
Charity started locally:
January 2012
Primary Contact:
BECKY BURTON (CEO)
Complaint Contact:
BECKY BURTON (CEO)
Other Contacts:
Mrs. Lee Koch  (Fund Development Director)

Additional Locations and Phone Numbers

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(817) 732-1261 (FAX)

Additional Information

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The four prior councils, now called Girls Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains (TOP), combine the following service centers:

Girl Scouts- Circle T Council, Inc., Girl Scouts of Caprock Council, Girl Scouts- Five Star Council and Girl Scouts NorCenTex Council.


CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD IS ROBERT PALMER

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ID: 83040002
Report as of: 11/23/2009

© 2009  BBB/Ft. Worth

Better Business Bureau Standards for Charitable Accountability
1. A board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. 2. A board of directors with a minimum of five voting 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. 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. 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. 6. 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. 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 recommendations for future actions. 8. Spend at least 65% of its total expenses on program activities. 9. Spend no more than 35% of related contributions on fund raising. Related contributions include donations, legacies and other gifts received as a result of fund raising efforts. 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, whichever is higher. 11. Make available to all, on request, complete annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. 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. 13. Accurately report the charity's expenses, including any joint cost allocations, in its financial statements. 14. Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration. 15. Have solicitations and informational materials, distributed by any means, that are accurate, truthful and not misleading, both in whole and in part. 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 (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. 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. 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. 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). 20. Respond promptly to and act on complaints brought to its attention by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and/or local Better Business Bureaus about fund raising practices, privacy policy violations and/or other issues. Copyright © 2003, CBBB

Ten Tips for Better Giving

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Most charities are honest and ethical, but questionable solicitors are counting on the fact that you won't bother to check out the charity before you give. Here is some basic wise giving advice:

  1. Watch out for similar names.
    As there are many charities raising funds for similar causes, some charity names sound the same. Be sure to look at the name carefully, because the charity soliciting you may not be the one you have in mind.
  2. Do not be pressured to make an immediate gift.
    Be wary of solicitors that demand an 'on the spot' donation. Charities should welcome your gift whenever you want to send it.
  3. Question vague appeals.
    Appeals should clearly identify the charity's programs. Watch out for appeals that are strong on identifying a problem, but weak on describing what specifically the charity intends to do about it.
  4. Do not give out personal information to phone solicitors.
    Don't give out credit card numbers, checking account numbers or any other personal information to unknown telephone solicitors.
  5. Do not give cash.
    Write a check out to the charity's full official name, not to an individual or third party that may be collecting the donation.
  6. Keep records of your donations (receipts, canceled checks and bank statements) so you can document your charitable giving at tax time. (Note: The IRS requires donations of $250 or more to be substantiated through a written receipt from the charity.)
  7. If you want a deduction, make sure the organization is a charity.
    There are many different types of soliciting nonprofit organizations. Most appeals will indicate if the organization is eligible to receive gifts deductible as charitable contributions. (To be sure, review the list of organizations in IRS Publication 78 or ask the charity for a copy of its tax exempt status determination letter.)
  8. Don't hesitate to ask the charity for written information on its programs and finances.
    This tip can be particularly helpful in responding to phone appeals from charities that interest you.
  9. To verify if a charity is registered to solicit, contact your state government.
    In most cases, this will be the state's office of the attorney general. Remember that the state registration does not mean 'approval', it means the group has filed the appropriate forms.
  10. Report bad practices.
    Contact your Better Business Bureau and your state's Attorney General office about solicitation problems.
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