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CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY CAMPING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Strengthening camps for children with cancer and their families.

aka COCA; COCA-I   |   Dadeville, AL   |  http://www.cocai.org
GuideStar Charity Check

CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY CAMPING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

EIN: 31-1530836


Mission

COCA's mission is to strengthen, support and connect the international community of camps serving individuals and families affected by childhood cancer.

Notes from the nonprofit

COCA-I's new Strategic Plan will address 4 important areas: 1. Governance-our Board of Directors structure will be updated to make the organization more effective, efficient, and a better strategic asset (protocol) to the medical community and our members serving kids with cancer and their families. 2. Partnering with Like-Minded Organizations- we are interested in developing relationships with partners who would like to make a big impact in the world of pediatric oncology camps and programs by working with us to impact 122 camps across US & Canada. 3. Education- we plan to continue the amazing educational programs provided over the last couple of years by developing an online learning center that will house recorded educational sessions to help our camping and medical professionals achieve a certification from COCA as well as continuing education credit units. 4. Messaging-telling COCA's story is important so we improve explaining who COCA is and what our membership benefits are.

Ruling year info

1997

Executive Director

Jennifer Amundsen

Program Manager

Ryan Campbell

Main address

261 Magnolia Crest

Dadeville, AL 36853 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Children's Oncology Camps of America, Inc.

EIN

31-1530836

Subject area info

Cancers

Human services

Youth services

Population served info

Children and youth

Families

NTEE code info

Cancer (G30)

Children's and Youth Services (P30)

Professional Societies, Associations (P03)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

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

Tax forms

Communication

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Connection, networking, education and access to resources were important in helping members succeed. To operate in the safest manner possible, pediatric oncology camps, and their staffs require: 1) Best Practice Training 2) Specialized Training 3) Psychosocial Training In order to assist children and their families on the cancer journey to experience.

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?

Professional Education, Gold Ribbon Accreditation & Partnerships

1. Professional Education: helps members fulfill their mission in serving kids with cancer and their families.
•Educational webinars and town halls with featured speakers from the medical and camping community, and at annual conference are provided.
•Resources help members connect with other like-minded organizations that could provide a service or product.
2. Gold Ribbon Accreditation: COCA's best practices program, provides member camps a list of recommended standards, document review of the camps' policies/procedures are completed to verify they 'meet' each of the standard requirements. To verify these documents 'in the field', COCA provides an onsite visit with a peer and medical camp professional.
3. Pediatric Camp Support from Partnerships:
•Working with our key partner, Care Camps, over $1.8 million in Operating and Capital Grants were awarded to support COCA member camps
•Create & Implement Professional Development Learning
•Cultivate Existing & New Partner Relationships

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Families

Where we work

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.

1) Maintain a robust Best Practices program for member camps
2) Provide specialized training for camp staff, counselors and volunteers
3) Conduct training for medical staff

1. Maintain a robust Gold Ribbon program which conducts policy and procedure review, on site visitations to establish accreditation for participating camps.
2. Continued expansion of CEU credit hours
3. Engagement of national speakers at the Annual Conference
4. Monthly educational webinars available to all members

We maintain a staff of 2 full time professionals. In addition, we rely on membership engagement to assist with Gold Ribbon Accreditation program, the program review and camp site visitations. We engage national speakers as well as members during the Annual Conference to provide training on key subjects.

Eighty camps have achieved Gold Ribbon Accreditation status. In addition, 35 are scheduled for status review in the next 2 years.

The post conference survey, as well as annual survey results continue to show increasing members satisfaction of COCA-I delivery of programs and services.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    pediatric oncology camping professionals-executive directors, camp directors, program directors, camp volunteers, development directors, pediatric oncology nurses, doctors, social workers, child life specialists.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Community meetings/Town halls, Suggestion box/email,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    In 2019, our organization held Focus Groups with a company that led us through a re-brand process. These Focus Groups interviewed current members, donors, other like-minded organizations so we could gather what COCA-I's SWOT were (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) In 2021, we went threw a re-branding of our logo to show COCA-I as a more professional membership organization and in 2022, we have been revealing and rolling out our new brand and continuing to develop professional education to train and prepare the professionals within our association.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    I believe receiving this feedback has opened doors for communication, ideas and resources from like-minded organizations and it has increased our relationship with our biggest donors. One of our biggest donors decided to give more this year and I do believe it is in response for the developing positive changes that has taken place over the last couple of years as well as their observation that COCA is good stewards of their money. The pandemic has been a positive opportunity for COCA-I to step up its professionalism as an international nonprofit serving camps for children with cancer.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time,

Financials

CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY CAMPING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL
Fiscal year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

Revenue vs. expenses:  breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info
NET GAIN/LOSS:    in 
Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Liquidity in 2020 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

4607.67

Average of 480.11 over 10 years

Months of cash in 2020 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

10.5

Average of 2.3 over 10 years

Fringe rate in 2020 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

8%

Average of 2% over 10 years

Funding sources info

Source: IRS Form 990

Assets & liabilities info

Source: IRS Form 990

Financial data

Source: IRS Form 990 info

CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY CAMPING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY CAMPING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY CAMPING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Financial trends analysis Glossary & formula definitions

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

This snapshot of CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY CAMPING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.

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Business model indicators

Profitability info 2018 2019 2020
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation $4,850 -$5,323 $17,393
As % of expenses 2.2% -1.8% 11.5%
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation $4,850 -$5,323 $17,393
As % of expenses 2.2% -1.8% 11.5%
Revenue composition info
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) $220,327 $292,918 $168,193
Total revenue, % change over prior year 0.0% 32.9% -42.6%
Program services revenue 58.5% 54.7% 46.2%
Membership dues 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Investment income 0.3% 0.8% 0.9%
Government grants 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
All other grants and contributions 41.3% 44.5% 52.9%
Other revenue 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Expense composition info
Total expenses before depreciation $218,269 $298,241 $150,800
Total expenses, % change over prior year 0.0% 36.6% -49.4%
Personnel 22.3% 18.0% 35.7%
Professional fees 11.5% 14.3% 27.9%
Occupancy 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Interest 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Pass-through 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
All other expenses 66.2% 67.7% 36.4%
Full cost components (estimated) info 2018 2019 2020
Total expenses (after depreciation) $218,269 $298,241 $150,800
One month of savings $18,189 $24,853 $12,567
Debt principal payment $0 $0 $0
Fixed asset additions $0 $0 $0
Total full costs (estimated) $236,458 $323,094 $163,367

Capital structure indicators

Liquidity info 2018 2019 2020
Months of cash 7.9 4.6 10.5
Months of cash and investments 7.9 6.4 14.3
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets 9.2 6.5 14.3
Balance sheet composition info 2018 2019 2020
Cash $143,352 $113,331 $131,745
Investments $0 $46,456 $47,954
Receivables $0 $40,297 $0
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) $0 $0 $0
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Liabilities (as a % of assets) 0.5% 18.9% 0.0%
Unrestricted net assets $167,590 $162,267 $179,660
Temporarily restricted net assets $0 N/A N/A
Permanently restricted net assets $0 N/A N/A
Total restricted net assets $0 $0 $0
Total net assets $167,590 $162,267 $179,660

Key data checks

Key data checks info 2018 2019 2020
Material data errors No No No

Operations

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

Documents
Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

Executive Director

Jennifer Amundsen

Jennifer is the current Executive Director for the Children’s Oncology Camping Association, International (COCA-I). She is passionate about the benefits of camps and programs for children with cancer and their families. Since 1993, she has dedicated her entire career working in pediatric oncology programs such as Camp Sunshine, GA and Smile-A-Mile, AL. Prior to joining the staff of COCA-I as the Assistant Executive Director (AED) in 2018, Jennifer was the Program Director for 23 years at Smile-A-Mile. She served on the COCA-I Board of Directors numerous terms as the Secretary, Member at Large as well as two years as the Conference Chair. In 2013, after 20 years in pediatric oncology camping, Jennifer was awarded the “Spirit of COCA-I” Award. Jennifer has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Family and Child Development from Auburn University and is serving as an inaugural Advisory Board Member for the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Auburn University.

Program Manager

Ryan Campbell

Ryan was hired part-time by the Children’s Oncology Camping Association, International (COCA-I) in February 2022 as the new Program Manager. He helps oversee the educational content provided to members in online webinars, town halls and works closely with the conference committee to develop the educational content and successful execution of the annual conference. Ryan also oversees COCA’s best practices program, the Gold Ribbon Accreditation program. Lastly, Ryan is the current Camp Director at Happiness is Camping, NJ for 8 years and has worked at camp for 15 summers. He was awarded the 2018 COCA-I Region 1 Camp Spirit Award, served on the Development & Marketing Committee for the COCA-I Board of Directors in 2021 and he has been a speaker numerous times at COCA-I’s annual conference. Ryan is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Camp Administration and Leadership from Gratz College.

Number of employees

Source: IRS Form 990

CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY CAMPING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Officers, directors, trustees, and key employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
Related
Show data for fiscal year
Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.

CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY CAMPING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Board of directors
as of 12/06/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board of directors data
Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization
Board chair

Dr. Kaye Wagner

Camp Bring It On, SD

Term: 2021 - 2022

Matthew Ruttler

Valerie Fund's Camp Happy Times, NJ and Kay's Kamp, DE

Brandon Briery

Camp CAMP, TX

Jennifer Benton

Camp Mak-A-Dream, MT

Tini Graff

Kay's Kamp, DE

Dina Dattilio

Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, VT

Gretchen Loose

Kay's Kamp, DE

Brandon Padgett

Kids Cancer Alliance, KY

Erin Ulmer

Camp Rise Above, SC

Tara VanDerpoel

MD Anderson's Children's Cancer Camps, TX

Michael Vasquez

Camp Okizu, CA

Becky Felak

The Goodtimes Project, WA

Kelsey Merritt

West Coast Kids Foundation, BC, Canada

Brian Crater

Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, CA

Mary Ellen McKnight

Kay's Kamp, DE

Michele Vernon

Sunrise Association

Laura Vaughn

Camp Quality USA

Rebecca Kirch

Care Camps Liaison

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 ? Not applicable
  • 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? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/5/2022

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
Female

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

No data

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 07/05/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.