Georgian Bay Land Trust

120 Eglinton Ave. E. Suite 1000
Toronto, ON M4P 1E2
Executive Director: Bill Lougheed
Board Chair: David Doritty

Charitable Reg. #:13195 8811 RR0001

STAR RATING

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

[Charity Rating: 3/5]

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements available only upon request.

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.

91%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 91 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About Georgian Bay Land Trust:

Georgian Bay Land Trust is a 3-star rated charity that is not financially transparent and has above average accountability to donors as seen in the A results reporting grade. For every dollar donated to this charity, 91 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci's reasonable range for overhead spending.

Founded in 1990, Georgian Bay Land Trust (GBLT) protects Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Lake Huron. As the world’s largest freshwater archipelago, Georgian Bay is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Georgian Bay Land Trust aims to preserve natural areas with ecological or historical significance. GBLT states that urbanization, climate change, and pipeline construction have destroyed critical habitats and put stress on Georgian Bay in recent years. The charity acquires protected land to ensure its ecosystems remain safe and preserved for future generations to enjoy. Georgian Bay Land Trust’s four programs are Land Protection, Stewardship, Learning and Inspire. Ci notes that total program costs in the financial analysis section include donated land, which represented 58% of the charity’s program costs in F2021.

Land Protection represented 41% of program costs, excluding donated land, in F2021. Georgian Bay Land Trust acquires protected land in one of three ways. GBLT accepts land ownership transfers by donation or by sale at fair market value. Landowners can reserve a “life estate” as part of a donation or sale, allowing themselves and family members to continue living on transferred land. Alternatively, GBLT offers Conservation Easement programs, which allow clients to retain ownership of their land. In return, the charity monitors the land to ensure the preservation of natural or cultural features. Finally, the charity offers combinations of the two options to partially transfer ownership of land. Once acquired, the charity classifies its protected land into three categories. These include natural areas, which permit public access; preserves, which allow visits by scheduled appointment; and critical reserves, which deny access due to ecosystem fragility. In F2021, Georgian Bay Land Trust reports that it preserved 7,552 acres of land and 9 provincially-significant wetlands. 

Land Stewardship represented 27% of program costs. GBLT’s stewards are responsible for maintaining protected areas and removing garbage or invasive species. More than 130 volunteer stewards monitored 64 protected areas and 1,660 acres of community recreational spaces in F2021. 

Learning represented 16% of program costs in F2021. GBLT partnered with over 15 science based organizations to conduct land based scientific research on Georgian Bay wildlife and endangered species. The charity continued its effort in collecting data on the movement of migratory birds and insects by installing four new wildlife tracking stations. It also installed passive bat call detectors at two new organizations to continue its research on endangered bat species. 

The remaining 16% of program costs in F2021 were allocated to Inspire. This program strives to bring communities together to foster the next generation of conservationists that will protect Georgian Bay land and wildlife. In F2021, GBLT provided 10 weeks of educational activities to kids learning at home. The charity also opened 16 public-access properties, providing 1,180 acres of outdoor trails for families to explore. 

 

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Results and Impact

Georgian Bay Land Trust reports that its protected land encompassed 50 at-risk species in F2021. During the year, GBLT reports that it protected 7,552 acres of natural areas. This includes 286 acres of the Rose Island Nature Reserve, 30.5 acres of the Roberts Island Reserve, and 9.9 acres of the Halpenny Easement. The Rose Island Nature Reserve contains some of the last remaining old-growth forest in Southern Ontario and 70 acres of wetland. This land is also home to ten at-risk species.

While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Georgian Bay Land Trust’s results and impact.

Charity Intelligence has not yet done an impact assessment on Georgian Bay Land Trust or any other Canadian environmental charity. This shows as n/r meaning not rated.

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Finances

Georgian Bay Land Trust reported $1.5m in donations and special events revenue in F2021. Goods in kind (donations of land) were $1.0m, representing 28% of total revenue. Administrative costs are 1% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 8% of donations and special events revenue. This means that total overhead spending is 9%. For each dollar donated to the charity, 91 cents go to the cause. This falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

GBLT has net funding reserves of $5.9m, of which $238k is donor-endowed. Excluding endowed funds, the charity’s reserves can cover 362% of programming and donated land costs. This means the charity can cover 3.6 years of annual program costs using its reserves. With donated goods excluded from program costs, the charity can cover 1037% or 10.4 years of annual programming.   

This charity report is an update that is currently being reviewed by Georgian Bay Land Trust. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 16, 2022 by Angelina Curwin.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending December
202120202019
Administrative costs as % of revenues 0.9%1.0%0.5%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 8.5%10.7%19.9%
Total overhead spending 9.4%11.7%20.4%
Program cost coverage (%) 1,037.7%861.7%662.5%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202120202019
Donations 1,368937563
Goods in kind 1,0142103,061
Government funding 2603541,176
Business activities (net) 233
Special events 1148575
Investment income 889379570
Total revenues 3,6471,9695,448
Program costs 556455478
Donated goods exp 1,0142103,061
Administrative costs 241626
Fundraising costs 126109127
Total spending 1,7207903,692
Cash flow from operations 1,9271,1781,756
Capital spending 693901,160
Funding reserves 5,8834,0583,324

Note: Ci reported investment income net of investment management fees. Ci reported professional fees and office and general expenses as administrative costs. All other project management, dues, conferences, and training costs are reported as program costs. Ci included the value of donated land in program costs to better reflect the charity’s net cash surplus each year. This affected total expenses by $1.0m in F2021, $210k in F2020, and $3.1m in F2019.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 5

Avg. compensation: $84,437

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
0
$120k - $160k
1
$80k - $120k
1
$40k - $80k
2
< $40k
1

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2021

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

Charity Contact

Website: www.gblt.org
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 416-440-1519

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