PLATINUM2021

SEE International

Sight is Freedom

aka Surgical Eye Expeditions International, Inc.   |   Santa Barbara, CA   |  www.seeintl.org

Mission

We provide essential and transformative eye care and surgery around the world and right here at home. We bring medical volunteers and partners together to care for the people who need it most. Our teams work side-by-side with local doctors and clinics to improve access to high-quality eye care and surgery. Together we break the cycle of hardship that blindness and visual impairment cause, making patients, families, and communities healthier and stronger.

Ruling year info

2000

President / CEO

Mr. Randal Avolio

Main address

175 Cremona Drive, Suite 100

Santa Barbara, CA 93117 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

31-1682275

NTEE code info

Public Health Program (E70)

Eye Diseases, Blindness and Vision Impairments (G41)

International Relief (Q33)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

International Clinics

Local health authorities all over the world invite us to share our knowledge, expertise, and resources with their clinics. We recruit and organize medical teams and get them the critical supplies and logistical support they need to conduct comprehensive eye clinics. These fast-paced clinics can last for up to 5 days, and depending on the conditions and the size of the surgical team, 50 to 300 people in need can have their sight restored and lives changed forever.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
People with vision impairments

The Santa Barbara Vision Care Program serves low-income and uninsured individuals in our local community.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people

As part of our commitment to advancing eyecare around the world, SEE offers Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS) training to practicing ophthalmologists and medical residents. MSICS is a revolutionary surgical technique that removes advanced cataracts and restores sight without the need for expensive equipment, or facilities. With MSICS, low-income individuals afflicted with cataracts can receive the care they need. We anticipate holding 12 courses in 2021 with 90 participants completing the course. We offer two levels of MSICS training: Level I introduces participants to the technique through both lecture and wet-lab practice, and Level II allows participants who are familiar with the technique to shadow faculty in humanitarian settings to develop real world experience.

Population(s) Served
People with vision impairments
Academics

Where we work

Awards

MSICS Training Program Award for Ophthalmologic Services to El Salvador 2009

Johnson & Johnson

Congressional Recognition for outstanding service to the community 2008

U.S. Congress - Lois Capps, Member of Congress

Leadership in Action Award for Nonprofit & Business Partnership 2008

The Nonprofit Support Center

Affiliations & memberships

Association of Fundraising Professionals - Member 2009

Chamber of Commerce 2009

Vision 2020 - Member 2010

International Association for the Prevention of Blindness - Member 2015

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of people screened for vision problems

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Economically disadvantaged people, People with diseases and illnesses, People with vision impairments

Related Program

International Clinics

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

2020 numbers decreased significantly due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Number of sight-restoring surgeries provided

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

People with vision impairments, Economically disadvantaged people, People with diseases and illnesses

Related Program

International Clinics

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

2020 numbers decreased significantly due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Number of sight-restoring programs

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Economically disadvantaged people, People with diseases and illnesses, People with vision impairments

Related Program

International Clinics

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

2020 numbers decreased significantly due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

SEE works to create a future free of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, where individuals can lead independent lives, regardless of their income or where they live. To make this goal a reality, we recruit and organize medical teams, then get them the critical supplies and logistical support they need to transform lives. Since 1974, SEE International has provided almost 5,000,000 eye exams and over half-a-million surgeries.

We work with over 600 volunteer ophthalmologists to make a difference in the world by treating preventable vision impairment in developing countries. We support their philanthropic leadership by maintaining working relationships with surgeons around the world, coordinating international clinics, gathering the best medical supplies available, and offering cutting-edge training for cataract surgery.

SEE International's primary focus is on cataract surgery. Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery is a revolutionary, sight-restoring surgical technique that is one of the most cost-effective of all health interventions. A volunteer SEE International surgeon can restore the sight of a person who has been blind with cataracts for 5, 10, or even 20 years with a local anesthetic and a 30-minute surgery.

SEE International is the link that connects volunteer ophthalmologists to host clinic sites that are in desperate need of help alleviating the overwhelming numbers of people living in darkness. SEE International organizes the clinics and provides most of the equipment and supplies that are needed. SEE International's volunteer eye surgeons donate their time and pay for all their own travel expenses. During each clinic (approximately five days long), sight is typically restored to 50 to 300 people.

To make this extraordinary work both far-reaching and sustainable, SEE relies on donors. We have created a network of in-kind donors, including Alcon, Allergan, Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb and more, who donate most of the supplies that are used for the clinics. The remainder of the cost—approximately $50 per surgery—is covered by generous individuals and foundations around the world.

To further enhance the sustainability and scalability of our work, SEE devotes significant resources toward the education of eye care professionals, particularly in regions that lack ophthalmologists and optometrists. By disseminating knowledge and skills of vision-restoring techniques like Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery, we create a rippling effect that diminishes the pervasiveness of visual impairments around the world.

Over the last four decades, SEE International has screened just under 5 million individuals and provided over half-a-million surgeries worldwide through a generous global volunteer network of more than 600 ophthalmic surgeons, registered nurses, and technicians. We have seen similar progress in our education initiatives, as well. Since 2012, we have trained a total of 662 surgeons, physicians, and residents in Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery across over a dozen locations. SEE's goal is to continue working in new countries and with new partners for as long as visual impairment remains a global issue.

Financials

SEE International
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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SEE International

Board of directors
as of 07/27/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Scott Groff

John I. Crowder

Howard R. Hudson

Brian Kelly

Michael J. Paveloff, M.D., F.A.C.S

Dante J. Pieramici, M.D.

Wright Watling

Patrick T. Welch

Lauren Ackerman

Ken Gack

Andy Doraiswamy

Jeffrey Levenson

Andrew Butcher

Randall Goodman

Olivia Dam

George Rudenauer

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/13/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data