The Golden Retriever Club of America

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237241041
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Littleton, CO, USA
Phone
3038888467
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Other Services - Specialty Animals

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$831,424
Expenses
$936,511
Assets
$584,627
Liabilities
$195,208

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • PATRICIA MCCABE (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • PATRICIA MCCABE (PRESIDENT)
  • JOLENE CAREY (VP - CENTRAL)
  • KAREN SHINEGO (VP - EASTERN)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

As stated in its articles of incorporation and its form 1024 - application for recognition of exemption under section 501(a), the objectives of the club are to recognize that the golden retriever is a gun dog and to encourage the members to perfect, by selective breeding, golden retrievers that possess the appearance, soundness, temperament, natural ability and personaility that is reflected in the standard of the breed, and to do all possible to advance and promote the perfection of these qualities; to urge members and breeders to accept the standard of the breed as approved by the american kennel club as the only standard of excellence by which the golden retriever shall be judged; to do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed by promoting responsible ownership of golden retrievers and encourage sportmsmanlike competition at competitive and performance events; to encourage and conduct sanctioned matches, specialty shows, field trials, obedience trials and t

What it reported doing in 2024

On-line store: 2025 accomplishments: allowed members to register for several health clinics including heart and eyes and to register for several social events such as top 20 and various welcome dinners. In addition, the store provided on site merchandise at the hunt test and field trials which promoted a greater sense of inclusion in the club for those participants. Grca improved our on line purchasing portal making on line purchasing of goods and services easier and allowed for better and more detailed reporting of goods and services sold. 2026 goals: the store is used as a tool for members to register for health clinics, sign-up for social events and for clubs and individuals to sponsor trophies and information banners at the annul grca national specialty as well as the purchasing of goods such as shirts, jackets, etc. With the improved reporting from the new payment portal, grca will have a better understanding of consumer wants and be able to more closely meet consumer demands. Education: 2025 accomplishments: hosted seminars in the following areas -- breeder/member, field, and judges. All three areas held seminars with the express intent of furthering the attendee's knowledge of the breed, the breed standard according to the american kennel club, and training techniques as well as discussions about the performance criteria in certain events. Grca now provides free on-line access to the certificate of conformation assessment (cca) video which describes in detail the breed standard and how to judge a dog against that standard. 2026 goals: to continue to provide relevant seminars and articles to increase knowledge of the golden retriever and its development and training in all areas in which a golden retriever is found. The breeder education committee will hold a "hands on seminar" using dogs with field titles to show that the conformation of the golden retriever is the same for field dogs and conformation dogs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 88% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.9%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 82.5%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -12.6%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.62; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.1% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.8% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -3.1% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92.9% of revenue deployed · 82.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $772K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.