50 Merton Street
Toronto, ON M4S 1A3
CEO: Jill Zelmanovits
Board Chair: Robyn McDonald

Charitable Reg. #:11893 8554 RR0027

STAR RATING

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

[Charity Rating: 3/5]

✔+

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

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

C+

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.

49%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 49 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About Girl Guides of Canada:

Founded in 1912, Girl Guides of Canada (GGC) offers after-school and weekend programs that encourage girls to make new friends, have fun, and inspire change in the world. GGC runs outdoor activities and programs relating to arts, science, and awareness of global issues. Girl Guides of Canada is one of 150 members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. In Canada, GGC works with nine provincial Girl Guide councils and many local Girl Guide units.

Girl Guides of Canada runs Guiding programs for girls aged 5 to 17. Girl Guides of Canada reports that it currently has around 97,000 members across the country. Each member is assigned to a local unit depending on age and location, meeting weekly with other members for one to two hours. Units can decide on their individual activities, but GGC provides suggestions such as tree planting, resume building, skills training, and camping. Members can earn badges by developing specific skills, and the charity reports nearly 1 million badges earned each year.

In November 2019, Girl Guides of Canada launched its first-ever Sisterhood Challenge. The national event invites adult members to form teams of up to six and take part in team-building challenges. In F2019, GGC reported that around 600 teams of more than 3,000 women participated in the inaugural Sisterhood Challenge.

A major annual fundraising initiative undertaken by Girl Guides of Canada is the sale of cookies. Girl Guides of Canada reports that its members sell over 6 million boxes of cookies each year. The proceeds from each box sold go towards various programs and expenses. Around 35% of proceeds go to provincial councils to fund operations, host events, and subsidize membership fees. Roughly 20% of proceeds go to local units to fund programs, craft supplies, and trips while 8% of proceeds go to the national organization. The remaining 36% covers the cost of the cookies.

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Results and Impact

In F2019, Girl Guides of Canada reported that they increased the number of their committees with girls on them by 41%. Committees consist of volunteer members who provide support and guidance to units across their province.

While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Girl Guides of Canada’s results and impact.

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Finances

Girl Guides of Canada is a medium-sized charity with donations of $4.7m in F2019. The charity collected $5.8m in membership fees, representing 40% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 20% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 31% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 51%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 49 cents go to the cause. This falls outside of Ci's reasonable range for overhead spending, which has been the case for the past three years.

Girl Guides of Canada has $24.7m in total funding reserves, of which $1.7m is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity could cover 2.2 years of annual program costs using its funding reserves.

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

Updated on July 9, 2020 by Eric Zhao.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending December
201920182017
Administrative costs as % of revenues 19.7%15.3%19.6%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 31.4%32.4%30.3%
Total overhead spending 51.1%47.7%49.9%
Program cost coverage (%) 222.7%252.2%341.2%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
201920182017
Donations 4,6814,2673,832
Fees for service 5,8365,8125,780
Business activities (net) 654290849
Investment income 2,6702031,566
Other income 620620983
Total revenues 14,46011,19213,009
Program costs - International 381313318
Program costs - Canada 10,0288,7576,872
Administrative costs 2,3181,6802,243
Fundraising costs 1,4721,3841,160
Total spending 14,19812,13510,594
Cash flow from operations 262(943)2,415
Capital spending 340590178
Funding reserves 24,72824,24825,835

Note: Ci excluded proceeds from the disposal of assets and properties, affecting total revenues by ($80k) in F2019, ($110k) in F2018, and ($698k) in F2017. International program costs include transfers of funds to the Canadian World Friendship Fund for international activities and transfers to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Ci removed amortization on a pro-rata basis from Canadian program costs, administrative costs, and fundraising costs.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 74

Avg. compensation: $79,326

Top 10 staff salary range:

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

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2018

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

No comments have been added by the charity.

Charity Contact

Website: www.girlguides.ca
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 416-487-5281

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Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001