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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: April 2022 Expires: October 2024

Giraffe Laugh, Inc

Standards Not Met
Standards Not Met
16 17 18
4094 W Chinden Blvd
Garden City, ID, 83714-3430

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

Giraffe Laugh, Inc does not meet the following 3 Standards for Charity Accountability:

Standard 16 (Annual Report)
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.

Giraffe Laugh, Inc does not meet this standard because:

 The financial review in its 2021 annual report does not provide dollar amounts for the organization's total revenue; total expenses; program, fundraising and administrative expense totals; or its ending net assets. In response, the organization has stated that it will include these details in their 2022 annual report.

Standard 17 (Web Site Disclosures)
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.

Giraffe Laugh, Inc does not meet this standard because:

 Its website, giraffelaugh.org, does not include all of the recommended information for those charity websites that solicit for donations. Specifically, it does not include a link to the organization's most recent IRS Form 990. 

Standard 18 (Privacy for Written Appeals & Internet Privacy)
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, (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.

Giraffe Laugh, Inc does not meet this standard because:

 The organization's website, giraffelaugh.org, does not provide access to a privacy policy that includes the recommended privacy information. The organization is working on a privacy policy and intends to have it available on their website in August 2022.

Giraffe Laugh, Inc meets the remaining 17 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
Giraffe Laugh ensures school readiness, empowers families and builds strong futures for children birth through five in a child care and preschool setting with equitable access to quality.

Year, State Incorporated:
1995, ID

Also Known As:
Giraffe Laugh Early Learning Center, Inc.

Giraffe Laugh Early Learning Centers consists of five programs designed to ensure school readiness while empowering families, therefore building strong futures. Through their full-day and part-day preschool and childcare programs, Giraffe Laugh helps to strengthen families while they pursue careers, education and financial independence.

Early Education: When children are born their brains are 25% developed and by the time they leave Giraffe Laugh's program and enter kindergarten their brain is 90% developed. The biggest time of growth occurs during the first 5 years. Giraffe Laugh strongly believes in educational justice where every child regardless of income has access to quality early care and education. Tuition Scholarships are available to income-eligible families to ensure that all children have access to quality regardless of their family income. 

Food Pantry: One in six children go to bed hungry in Idaho every night. Through a partnership with the Idaho Foodbank, Giraffe Laugh provides food pantries at all of their sites for families in need to access every day. All centers have freezers and refrigerators for protein sources and dairy products that would otherwise perish. Families can access them anytime during hours of operation. Giraffe Laugh has two on-site gardens and also partners with area gardens to provide food.

Summer School Age Program: More than half of the achievement gap between lower and higher income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. Giraffe Laugh aims to bridge this gap with their K-6th grade summer program. Giraffe Laugh turns a summer learning loss into a summer learning gain for school-aged children from pre-kindergarten to pre-third grade through a stimulating environment that is a full-day, full-week, all-summer-long day camp. This program begins the day school is out according to the Boise School District calendar and ends on the final day before school begins. This includes breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, and all field trips. Swim lessons and some extracurricular activities are extra.

Parent Education: When Giraffe Laugh enrolls a child, they enroll a family. Parenting is not easy and when adults in a family feel connected, supported and have information on their journey, they are empowered and the entire family is strengthened. Giraffe Laugh holds annual parent & teacher conferences in the fall to talk about the development of their child(ren). Even infants are screened for developmental milestones and works with other organizations to provide parenting information through a monthly newsletter, classes and workshops.

Giraffe Laugh Garden City Preschool: Giraffe Laugh has partnered with the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children to bring a much needed half-day preschool program to the residents of Garden City located in the Boys and Girls Club.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, Giraffe Laugh, Inc's program expenses were:

Childcare $1,037,718
Total Program Expenses $1,037,718

Chief Executive
Lori Fascilla, Executive Director

Chair of the Board
Mrs. Emily Solly, Commercial Lender

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Mountain West Bank

Board Size
13

Paid Staff Size
67

Method(s) Used:
Door-to-door solicitation, Grant proposals, Internet, Radio

% of Related Contributions on Fundraising: 12.98%

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 Giraffe Laugh, Inc's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Source of Funds
Student tuition, net $627,673
Contributions and grants $508,733
Loan forgiveness - PPP loan $166,027
In-kind contributions $53,444
Fundraising activities, net $30,498
Food program $20,239
Other income $9,113
Total Income $1,415,727

Programs: 82% Fundraising: 8% Administrative: 10%

Total Income $1,415,727
Total expenses: $1,268,615
  Program expenses $1,037,718
  Fundraising expenses $98,466
  Administrative expenses $132,431
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $147,112
Beginning Net Assets $315,631
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $462,743
Total Liabilities $131,839
Total Assets $594,582

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.

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Report completed by:
BBB Great West - Pacific