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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: May 2025 Expires: May 2027

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp

Standards Not Met
Standards Not Met
10
(203) 772-0522
555 Long Wharf Drive
New Haven, CT, 06511
https://holeinthewallgang.org/
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp does not meet the following 1 Standards for Charity Accountability:

Standard 10 (Ending Net Assets)
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.

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp does not meet this Standard because:

  • According to the organization's audited financial statements for the year ended November 30, 2023, the organization's total unrestricted net assets were $108,342,132, or 4.6 times the charity's total budgeted expenses of $23,187,919.

In response to the finding, the charity stated:

"The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp's operating reserve is restricted as a fund-functioning-as-endowment. The purpose of the fund is to support Camp's philanthropic mission in perpetuity and fortifies Camp's long-term financial sustainability. Camp's budget is balanced through the combination of annual contributions and up to 5% of the draw from Camp's fund-functioning-as-endowment. This very intentional construct is directly responsive to the growing and urgent needs of children with serious illnesses and their families."

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp meets the remaining 19 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to create ongoing Camp connections that build a joy-filled, inclusive community where children – and families in all the forms they come in – are not alone in their challenges and more than a diagnosis."

Year, State Incorporated:
1985, CT

Also Known As:
The Hole in the Wall Gang Fund

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (HITWG) provides “a different kind of healing” to children with serious illnesses and their families through year-round programs celebrating the fun, friendship and spirit of childhood. The original camp facility is located in Connecticut, and in 2022, the organization acquired property in Maryland to establish a second location. HITWG also has a hospital outreach program whereby the organization works collaboratively with hospitals to improve the quality of life for children during medical treatment. The organization also, at times, provides assistance in the form of grants, financial, and other support to other camps in the United States and in other countries. In 2022-23, HITWG provided on-site programs for 2,272 participants totaling 9,178 "camper" days, 36,356 in-person hospital visits, and supplied virtual programming in hospitals, homes, and alternative community groups for 1,508 participants.

For the year ended November 30, 2023, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp's program expenses were:

Camp programs $8,862,296
Outreach programs $4,581,576
Total Program Expenses $13,443,872

Chief Executive
James Canton, Chief Executive Officer

Compensation*
$343,242

Chair of the Board
Raymond Lamontagne

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Retired, Past President, Seavest Inc.

Board Size
28

Paid Staff Size
108

*2022 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Grant proposals, Internet, Direct mail appeals, Membership appeals, Planned giving arrangements

Fundraising costs were 26% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $12,269,565, 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 The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp's audited financial statements for the year ended November 30, 2023.

Source of Funds
Contributions $8,201,130
Realized and unrealized interest on investments, net $6,950,789
Special events, net $4,004,961
Dividend and interest income $2,310,751
In-kind contributions $63,474
Other income $15,992
Total Income $21,547,097

Programs: 74% Fundraising: 18% Administrative: 8%

Total Income $21,547,097
Total expenses: $18,165,884
  Program expenses $13,443,872
  Fundraising expenses $3,208,566
  Administrative expenses $1,513,446
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $3,381,213
Beginning Net Assets $144,051,696
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $147,432,909
Total Liabilities $1,363,674
Total Assets $148,796,583

Note: According to HITWG's audited financial statements for the year ended November 30, 2023, the organization received in-kind contributions totaling $63,474 in the form of program supplies and equipment.

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 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 International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance