The Foundation is committed to complete transparency, accountability and efficiency, adhering to the Donor Bill of Rights, and accepted standards for top-rated charities.
Charity rating agencies recommend that fundraising costs per dollar raised be kept under 35%, and special events often cost as much as 50% of funds raised. Our fundraising cost in this fiscal year was 34%, and we strive to be more efficient each year.
St. Baldrick's volunteer event organizers, shavees℠, barbers, sponsors, donors, staff, board members, and other volunteers generate 100% of contribution revenues.
The Foundation's signature fundraising event is head-shaving, where volunteers, in acts of solidarity, show support for children with cancer. While raising funds, this life-changing activity brings volunteers to the Foundation, engages them in its mission, and raises awareness of the many challenges faced by the children, their families, and the doctors and researchers in this community.
In addition to participant-driven fundraising, the Foundation raises funds through direct solicitations, major gifts, planned giving and more. Even before the pandemic, the Foundation was working to diversify its volunteer-powered revenue model, and strengthen relationships with donors. Since the outbreak, it has accelerated and broadened these strategies to enable the organization to withstand external events in the future.
The pandemic has had a detrimental impact on the Foundation's fundraising events. While the Foundation quickly pivoted to offer virtual and hybrid experiences, volunteers overwhelmingly preferred the energy and inspirational format of in person events and largely deferred their efforts for a time when these may safely resume. The limited access to vaccines during the Foundation's peak season (February–April 2021) further stymied volunteer activities. These events are principally supported by restaurants, schools, first responders and hospitals —the audiences most impacted by the pandemic. Throughout the year, the Foundationhas scrutinized its strategy to maximize revenue and every expenditure to be able to fund the maximum number of research grants possible, while ensuring the Foundation endures to fulfill the ultimate mission: curing childhood cancers.
Accordingly, the Foundation has entered into lease negotiations to reduce office space and has reduced vendor commitments to better reflect current funding levels.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation receives no non-emergency funds from the federal government.
The above indicates how funds contributed to the St. Baldrick's Foundation were deployed in Fiscal Year 2021. As the pandemic impeded fundraising events, less funds were raised, so less research was funded.
While the "expense ratio" tells donors the percentage of their gift that supports the mission, it does not measure whether the use of funds is improving the way children with cancer are treated. For that assessment, we point you to the research and advocacy highlights provided in this report.
The above does not reflect other benefits of our efforts, including but not limited to:
And more!
Please review a few of the highlights of research progress or advocacy impact St. Baldrick's donors, volunteers and advocates have made possible, and thank you for protecting the futures of children with cancer.
For more historical financial information, please feel free to contact us.
An independent audit for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation has been performed by Armanino, LLP. We will also gladly send a copy by mail upon request. Please contact Ryan Brown at Accounting@StBaldricks.org. All funds reflected on this page are listed in U.S. dollars.
