Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides

152 Wilson Street
Oakville, ON L6K 0G6
CEO: Beverly Crandell
Board Chair: Angela Sharbot

Charitable Reg. #:13024 5129 RR0001

STAR RATING

Ci's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics:

[Charity Rating: 4/5]

✔+

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.

A

RESULTS REPORTING

Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

n/r

DEMONSTRATED IMPACT

The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.

NEED FOR FUNDING

Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.

69%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 69 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides:

Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides is a 4-star charity. It is financially transparent, has overhead spending within Ci's reasonable range, and has a strong results reporting grade. Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides has $16.4m in reserve funds, which can cover just under four years of program costs.

Founded in 1983, Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides is a dog training school and charity that connects clients with disabilities to specialized dog guides. The charity strives to make disabled clients feel more independent and empowered thanks to dog guides. The Foundation and Dog Guides Canada merged in August 2021 and now operate under the Foundation's name. Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides has two training facilities in Ontario: one in Oakville and another in Breslau.

Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides reports that one in five Canadians over 15 years of age are living with one or more disabilities. The charity provides its trained dogs to eligible Canadians at no extra cost. Dog guides receive specific training to meet the needs of their clients. The charity offers seven Dog Guide programs: Canine Vision (for the blind or visually impaired), Hearing (for the deaf or hard of hearing), Autism Assistance (for children on the autism spectrum), Service (for those with medical or physical disabilities), Seizure Response (for those with epilepsy), Diabetic Alert (for those with diabetes), and Facility Support (for professional agencies that support victims with trauma).

Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides reports that it had 1,018 active client-dog guide teams in F2022 and had 85 dogs in training. Additionally, the foundation supported 215 foster families raising future guide dogs and has 155 active dog sitters. It adds that 236 puppies were born in F2022 and they had 1,422 veterinary visits. Lions Foundation of Canada is hoping to open a new facility in Oakville in 2025, which will increase its dog training capacity.

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Results and Impact

In F2022, Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides reports that there were 73 graduating client-dog guide teams. It adds that this is more than double the number of graduating teams in F2021, which was 35. The charity aims to graduate 250 teams a year by 2025, once its new facility in Oakville opens.

In F2019, Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides conducted a survey among its clients and found that 96% of respondents would recommend the program, 93% felt satisfied with their dog guide, and 91% reported being able to live more independently. The charity did not report survey results in F2020 or F2021. 

While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides' results and impact.

This charity is not yet rated on impact (n/r). 

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Finances

Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides had total donations and special events revenue of $8.1m in F2022. Administrative costs are 15% of revenues (less investment income), and fundraising costs are 16% of donations and special events revenue. This results in total overhead spending of 31%. For every dollar donated, 69 cents are available for programs, which is within Ci's reasonable range for overhead spending.

The charity has $16.4m in reserve funds, which could cover 392% or three years and 11 months of its annual program costs.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 19, 2023 by Victoria Allder.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending June
202220212020
Administrative costs as % of revenues 14.5%16.0%17.6%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 16.3%10.7%16.4%
Total overhead spending 30.8%26.7%34.0%
Program cost coverage (%) 392.1%449.3%378.7%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202220212020
Donations 6,8434,9793,669
Goods in kind 238265293
Government funding 0130
Fees for service 151318
Business activities (net) 917
Special events 1,2111,004717
Investment income (275)2,199435
Other income 11899519
Total revenues 8,1608,5725,657
Program costs 4,1862,8213,083
Grants 0550250
Donated goods exp 238265293
Administrative costs 1,2271,018919
Fundraising costs 1,309641719
Total spending 6,9605,2955,264
Cash flow from operations 1,2003,277394
Capital spending 1,4772226,493
Funding reserves 16,41716,32313,173

Note: Ci reported grants to qualified donees from the charity's T3010 CRA filings and backed out the amounts from program costs.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 86

Avg. compensation: $44,560

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
1
$120k - $160k
0
$80k - $120k
6
$40k - $80k
3
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2022

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

Charity Contact

Website: www.dogguides.com
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: (905) 842-2891

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