Mission: Guiding Eyes for the Blind is dedicated to enriching the lives of blind and visually impaired men and women by providing them with the freedom to travel safely, ther ... (More)
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1956, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Contact Information
611 Granite Springs Road
Yorktown Heights NY 10598
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Star Rating System by Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator evaluates a nonprofit organization’s financial health including measures of stability, efficiency and sustainability. We also track accountability and transparency policies to ensure the good governance and integrity of the organization.
Good
This charity's score is 84.92, earning it a 3-Star rating. Donors can "Give with Confidence" to this charity.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 78.90 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 97.00 View details
This score represents Form 990 data from 2019. More recent filing data is available, but it has not been factored into this score, due to COVID-19's effect on this organization.
View this organization’s historical ratings.
Rating update postponed due to COVID-19's impact on this organization. View Guiding Eyes for the Blind's response.
Star Rated Report
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Program Expense Ratio
77.7%
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s).
This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Administrative Expenses
5.4%
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Expenses
16.7%
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
6.8%
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency
$0.16
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Working Capital Ratio
2.91 years
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Growth
0.99%
We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
Governance
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
| Governance: | |
|---|---|
| Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) | |
| No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
| |
| Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
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| Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) | |
| Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) | |
| Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) | |
| Compensates Board ... (More) |
Policies
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Policies: | |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest ... (More) | |
| Whistleblower ... (More) | |
| Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) | |
| CEO Compensation Process ... (More) | |
| Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) | Partial |
Transparency
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Transparency: | |
|---|---|
| CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) | |
| Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Audited Financial Statements on Website ... (More) | |
| Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) |
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Thomas Panek, President & CEO
$366,274 (1.38% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Business Master File Data
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Aid to the handicapped (see also 031) (BMF activity code: 160)
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Pandemic Response
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Staffing
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
In FY2020, Guiding Eyes incurred COVID-related costs that were not anticipated in our operating budget, such as medical and cleaning supplies, IT equipment for remote work, and additional veterinary expenses for unmatched dogs. In FY2021 Guiding Eyes continued to incur unanticipated COVID-related costs, such as additional PPE and PCR test kits even after the vaccine was available because of covid variants. Because of savings in other areas (air travel and room/board for students primarily), we were able to absorb these costs without drawing from the organization’s operating reserves.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
As with many organizations worldwide, the spread of COVID-19 put stress on our operations and posed many challenges as we continued to fulfill our mission. In March of 2020 we closed the Residential School for the first time since the organization’s founding in 1954 so that students and staff could return home safely. Home training was also temporarily suspended due to travel restrictions. With careful monitoring of guidelines and restrictions by locale, we were able to resume Home Training in June of 2020, prioritizing applicants on our wait list who live within driving distance of an instructor. Home training continued with intermittent pauses until we were able to reopen our school with modified protocol in March 2021. In addition to our Training Programs, our Breeding and Genetics Program was also impacted, as we had to pause Breeding at the height of the pandemic and subsequently increase the production of puppies to make up for the shortfall.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
In response to the pandemic Guiding Eyes changed its Training protocols, moving to an exclusive Home Training model until we were able to safely reopen the Residential School in modified form. We experimented with technology that allows the trainer to be six feet away from the student, such as blue tooth and radio-connected headsets. We created pre-training documents and audio-described videos to prep students and eliminate the need for home visits on the first day of training. With the proper use of PPE, the utilization of technology, the development of audio-described training videos, an increased fleet of Training Vans, and a motorcoach for long-distance travel, Guiding Eyes was able to provide customized, in-person training while observing social distance guidelines.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
In adapting to the changing circumstances of the ongoing pandemic, Guiding Eyes for the Blind has adopted new training techniques and developed new programs that have improved our services. It is likely that some of these changes will remain in place after the pandemic. We plan to maintain a reduced number of dogs per instructor, for instance, as it keeps our kennel population down while providing the same number of training hours per dog. We are also conducting more home trainings even after we resumed class instruction and we've reduced our student to instructor ratio in class training. This allows us to shorten class length while increasing our ability to customize training and provide additional one-on-one instruction for each of our class students.
Historical Ratings
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 5/1/2021 | 2019 | 84.92 | |
| 10/1/2019 | 2018 | 85.02 | |
| 9/1/2018 | 2017 | 86.55 | |
| 11/1/2017 | 2016 | 85.36 | |
| 10/1/2016 | 2015 | 84.94 | |
| 6/1/2016 | 2014 | 85.00 | |
| Rating Version: 2.0 | |||
| 12/1/2015 | 2014 | 82.56 | |
| 12/22/2014 | 2013 | 81.71 | |
| 10/1/2013 | 2012 | 81.37 | |
| 11/6/2012 | 2011 | 81.88 | |
| 8/8/2012 | 2011 | 82.20 | |
This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. | |||
| 9/20/2011 | 2010 | 84.57 | |
| Rating Version: 1.0 | |||
| 6/1/2011 | 2010 | 81.89 | |
| 11/1/2010 | 2009 | 82.07 | |
| 12/1/2009 | 2008 | 88.66 | |
| 5/1/2009 | 2007 | 90.17 |  |
| 6/1/2007 | 2006 | 89.92 | |
| 9/1/2006 | 2005 | 89.82 | |
| 6/1/2005 | 2004 | 85.25 | |
| 7/1/2004 | 2003 | 81.69 | |
| 8/1/2003 | 2002 | 76.36 |  |
| 10/15/2002 | 2001 | 73.20 | |
| 4/15/2002 | 2000 | 85.22 | |
Previous: Finance & Accountability / Next: Leadership & Adaptability
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
Guiding Eyes for the Blind cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Do you work at Guiding Eyes for the Blind? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
Guiding Eyes for the Blind reported its three largest programs on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
$8,889,266
Spent in most recent FY
42%
Percent of program expenses
Student Instruction and Dog Training
$6,099,641
Spent in most recent FY
28%
Percent of program expenses
Veterinary Hospital
$2,551,144
Spent in most recent FY
12%
Percent of program expenses
Enrichment and Education
Previous: Impact & Results / Next: Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
This score provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by Guiding Eyes for the Blind is a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of the organization's Leadership & Adaptability through the nonprofit organization submitting a survey response directly to Charity Navigator.
Leadership & Adaptability Report
100
of 100 points
Mission
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s mission
Guiding Eyes for the Blind provides purpose bred and professionally trained guide dogs to people with vision loss for greater independence. We have created meaningful connections between people with vision loss and exceptional dogs since 1954, graduating over 8,000 handler-guide dog teams. We graduate approximately 160 new teams annually and serve nearly 1,000 graduate teams that are actively working in their communities across the nation. Our school is known worldwide as a center of excellence with a spirit of innovation. We are an accredited member of the International Guide Dog Federation, the organization that sets global standards for the breeding and training of guide dogs. Our headquarters and Training Facility are in Yorktown Heights, NY. Our Canine Development Center, where we purpose-breed, whelp, and begin early socialization of approximately 500 puppies annually, is in Patterson, NY. We provide all services, programs, and follow-up support at no cost to our recipients.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Guiding Eyes aspires to offer every person with vision loss a chance to gain independence and mobility through an exceptional guide dog. According to a 2016 news release from the National Institutes of Health, the number of people in the US afflicted with vision loss is growing rapidly: “With the youngest of the baby boomers hitting 65 by 2029, the number of people with visual impairment or blindness in the United States is expected to double to more than 8 million by 2050.” Guiding Eyes is committed to meeting the growing demand for a guide dog without sacrificing the quality of its services.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Strategic Goals
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Build a new kennel with the goal of housing a minimum of 200 dogs.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Guiding Eyes has retained the services of BDO Consulting to help us develop a five-year strategic plan to chart a sustainable path for long-term growth.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Three: Greater focus on ensuring that clients are central to the operating model – create a tailored approach for each client
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
Guiding Eyes is committed to the professional development of its employees at every level. Recent investments include: • Leadership Development coaching for the Chief Veterinarian Officer (external coach) • Leadership Development coaching and guidance for Director of Canine Development, who in turn develops all new Guide Dog Mobility Instructor Trainees (external coach) • Director of Regional Guide Dog Mobility Instructors currently being developed to become an “assessor” in the Guide Dog School Industry under the International Guide Dog Federation. • External expert Orientation and Mobility Instructors are engaged by Guiding Eyes to train and educate our Guide Dog Mobility Instructors on Orientation and Mobility to enhance their knowledge when working with people who are blind or visually impaired • External Executive Leadership Consultant engaged to work with Senior Management to reinforce cohesive leadership at Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Mobilizing for Mission
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
Guiding Eyes is dedicated to fostering global collaboration among guide dog schools to improve guide dog health and behavior. Activities include sharing breeding stock, best practices, and genetic data through the International Working Dog Registry and supporting the development of breeding cooperatives around the world. We offer hands-on training seminars for Orientation and Mobility Specialists to instruct them on guide dog handling and partner with other service organizations, institutions, and corporations to develop new technologies that better support individuals with vision loss. Projects include the Unifly Harness, developed with Ruffwear; the Smart Collar, developed with North Carolina State University and IBM; and Project Guideline, developed with Google.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Story of Adaptability
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
As with many organizations worldwide, the spread of COVID-19 has put stress on our operations and poses many challenges as we continue to fulfil our mission. Our visionary leadership, expert staff, and committed supporters have allowed us to successfully meet these challenges and position ourselves for growth as the pandemic subsides. We have used this time to re-evaluate our service model across the board and make programmatic changes where needed, such as pivoting to exclusive home training during high rates of COVID transmission and modifying our Residential Program when conditions allowed us to reopen the school. We are training smaller cohorts on campus and continue to home train nearly 50% of our students. We are ready to adapt our model to the evolving circumstances of COVID-19, but with a commitment to maintaining a lower student-instructor ratio than we had before the pandemic. To expand our capacity and serve more individuals who are blind or visually impaired without sacrificing the quality of our guide dogs and training experience, we’ve retained the services of BDO consulting to help us develop a five-year strategic plan to chart a sustainable path for long-term growth.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Additional Information
Unscored
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Organization Leadership
Thomas Panek
President & CEO
John L. Donnelly
Chairman
Previous: Leadership & Adaptability
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. Learn more about how and why we rate Culture & Community.
Culture & Community Score
Not Currently Scored
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is currently not eligible for a Culture & Community score because we have not received its Constituent Feedback or Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion data. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the How We Listen and Equity Practices sections of their Candid profile.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Culture & Community Report
Unscored
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
This organization has not provided information regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices it is presently implementing. As such, the organization has not earned a score on this metric. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Methodology
We are utilizing data collected by Candid to document and assess the DEI practices implemented by the organization. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the Equity Strategies section of their Candid profiles to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Constituent Feedback
Constituent Feedback and Listening Practice data are not available for this organization. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Methodology
We've partnered with Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Below you can find more information about the metrics we currently evaluate in this beacon and their relevance to nonprofit performance.
Constituent Feedback
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
