Login with FacebookSMILE TRAIN, INC.
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8 reviews total. Average rating:
User Reviews
marianne is right
Form 990 for 2008
part II
line 38 Printing and publications
$32,242,254
Also salaries and consultant fees were interesting reading
The Great!
- I've seen the results of this organization in... donating
Ways to make it better!
- If I had to make changes to this organization, I would… Correct misleading advertising that all dollars sent go to surgical procedure.
I was a Professional with expertise in this field & Professional Fund Raiser
Post public compliment
The amount of money this organization spends on advertising in major publications, local newspapers and in direct mail is appalling. There could not possibly be enough recipients in the world to justify the fund raising this organization does.
It needs to be investigated.
The Great!
- I've seen the results of this organization in... My personal experience consists of receiving unsolicited mail.
Ways to make it better!
- If I had to make changes to this organization, I would… Cease advertising and mailings.
When seeing the solicitation in Boating Magazine I wanted to contribute. I generally give between $100 to $2500 and I contributed to over 30 different orgs last year. I now only give to those that show a very high % to the cause through the internet vrs fund raising and overhead cost. Smile train clearly does not qualify as a honest organization. If they got rid of those NYC apts and high saleries, I would give a minimum of $2500.
The Great!
- If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could... Do a lot
Ways to make it better!
- If I had to make changes to this organization, I would… Move all org people to lower cost cities and keep the overhead and fund raising cost to less than 10% of the gross revenue. With the disclosure on the internet of expenses there will be much more informed donaters who will avoid charities with these expen
After some not inconsiderable reseach a few years ago on where one's charity could make the most difference "for the buck", Smile Train came out well ahead of anything else. Not only in terms of all donated funds ending up where they should, but in terms of the impact on pimproving the quality of people's lives per $.
I have been an avid supported evr since and intend on increasing this through wider corporate engagement. I have absolutely no reservations in commending what Smile Train is doing, how it is doing it and the dedication and vision it reflects.
If only governments and supra-national organisations had the humility to learn from the model being applied here, the world could both easily become a much better place, and could do so without the need for much more additional funding.
The Great!
- What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is... That every time I think of how I have and am contributing, I know it has made a real difference. It makes me think of new ways in which I could do more. The smiles created -- theirs and mine -- are one of the best feelings I have in my life. Try it!
Ways to make it better!
- In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are... The rate of new cases entering the world being such that there is a perpetual backlog, unless rate of operations is significantly increased to clear it, and then funded to the lower level required for only clearing new cases thereafter.
SmileTrain (www.smiletrain.org)
100% of donations help kids because the Founding Supporters pay all the overhead! The Smile Train is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. 686 Smile Train partner hospitals and clinics around the world provide free cleft repair surgery. The 2009 projection...111,900 surgeries- a lot of new smiles for kids who have never smiled before.
The Great!
- What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is... The work that they do to give these unfortunate people a life where they can interact with people on an equal status.
Ways to make it better!
- My experience would have been better if... Cut back a tad on the graphic advertising. We understand and it does not need to be shoved in our faces. We are trying to help!