Optometry Giving Sight 4-start rating

Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) has earned a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for its strong financial health, ongoing accountability and transparency. This rating designates Optometry Giving Sight as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that OGS is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria.

Charity Navigator is America’s largest and most utilized independent charity evaluator. Since 2001, the organization has been an unbiased and trusted source of information for more than 11 million donors annually.

Charity Navigator analyzes non-profit performance based on four key indicators, referred to as beacons. Currently, non-profits can earn scores for the Impact & Results, Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, and Leadership & Adaptability beacons.

“We are delighted to provide Optometry Giving Sight with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that OGS is able to accomplish in the years ahead.”

“Our Four-Star Charity Navigator rating is further validation that our supporters can trust our commitment to good governance and financial health,” said OGS Executive Director Lois Schoenbrun, CAE (Ret.), FAAO. “As we work with our partners to eliminate unnecessary vision impairment in the U.S. and around the world, we want our donors to know that we appreciate them and value their trust in us.”

Optometry Giving Sight supports sustainable and scalable optometry-led programs that educate eye care providers locally and enable the establishment and delivery of vision care and eye health to all. In 2023 alone, OGS is funding 21 programs globally, totaling more than $900,000 USD.


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Dr. Scott Mundle provides a historical perspective on Optometry Giving Sight (OGS), its mission and current activities. He and Eyes Wide Open Host, Roxanne Arnal, talk about the benefits of giving and how contributing to social programs can help personal happiness and make business sense. Dr. Mundle, UW (’83) has been active in the service of Optometry since early in his career. He is the past-president of the Manitoba Association of Optometrists and the Canadian Association of Optometrists, and Past President of the World Council of Optometry.  Dr. Mundle serves as the OGS Canada Member Representative.


Dr. Scott Muncle

About the Guest

While officially “retired” Dr. Mundle, continues to serve the profession as a delegate of the World Council of Optometry (WCO) to the International Agendy for the Prevention of Blindness.

Married to University of Waterloo, School of Optometry classmate Dr. Michelle Georgi, the couple has three children. On chance that any other free time presents itself, Dr. Mundle dedicates it to sporting activities, including cycling and fishing.


Episode Notes

Dr. Scott Mundle provides an update on his active “retirement” with Roxanne Arnal, including his recent personal and professional travel agenda in support of the World Council of Optometry.

He provides an overview of the 2003 founding partners of the Optometry Giving Sight (OGS), and how its mission and priorities have shifted over time since he was first invited to chair the OGS National Committee by Dr. Scott Brisbane.

Dr. Mundle outlines the substantial activities of OGS in reaching over 8 Million patients, training 14,000 Eye Care professionals while establishing 130 vision centres in 40 different countries around the globe.

Among OGS activities is support in the foundation of Optometry Schools in developing countries, including Kenya, Eritrea, Vietnam and Haiti, the later of which was undertaken in collaboration with partners including VOSH and University of Montréal. Notwithstanding the recent civil strife in Haiti, the project contiues to train Haitian ODs successfully.

Dr. Mundle reviews the various ways that Canadian Optometrists can (and should!) participate to support OGS funding, including how his own Manitoba practice enthusastically undertook efforts.

He encourages optometry students to get involved. He detailed the friendly competition that has ensued between University of Waterloo and Univerity of Montreal CAOS chapters to creatively one-up each other in generating support for OGS.

Finally, the discussion goes toward the benefits of funding by providing research facts on how social causes influence consumer choices of business and services. Dr. Arnal references a recent “must read” book called “Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending“, on how spending money can elevate our happiness (See Resources).

Resources

ROXANNE ARNAL,

Optometrist and Certified Financial Planner

Roxanne Arnal graduated from UW School of Optometry in 1995 and is a past-president of the Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO) and the Canadian Association of Optometry Students (CAOS).  She subsequently built a thriving optometric practice in rural Alberta.

Roxanne took the decision in  2012 to leave optometry and become a financial planning professional.  She now focuses on providing services to Optometrists with a plan to parlay her unique expertise to help optometric practices and their families across the country meet their goals through astute financial planning and decision making.

Roxanne splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Dr. Glen Chiasson.


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Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) is pleased to announce a newly expanded partnership with VuePoint IDS publications, including Eye Care Business Canada  and NextGen OD.  The partnership also includes CRO (Clinical & Refractive Optometry) Journal and Optik Magazine for the 2023 calendar year.

VuePoint IDS, a long-time supporter of OGS, was honored at the Beacon of Light Recognition Event held at Vision Expo West this past September in Las Vegas. The event recognized those individuals and companies that had generously donated more than $100,000 to OGS over the lifetime of the organization so it could meet its mission to end preventable blindness and vision impairment in underserved communities around the world.

This longstanding partnership will be expanded during 2023. VuePoint IDS will provide more than $100,000 of in-kind advertising to OGS in 2023 alone, across all of its Optik print and digital publications, as well as its Clinical & Refractive Optometry online continuing education platform, enabling OGS to reach an audience it may not have had easy access to before. The type and level of market saturation and reach being made available with this expanded partnership will enable OGS to continue to meet its mission to reduce the prevalence of preventable blindness and vision impairment.

Doctors of Optometry will also be able to donate to Optometry Giving Sight when registering for CE courses through CRO.

Click HERE for the full press release.


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Optometry Giving Sight is the only global fundraising initiative that specifically targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision due to refractive error. Our aim is to help the more than 600 million people who are blind or vision impaired simply because they do not have access to an eye exam and a pair of glasses. Optometry Giving Sight funds the solution by supporting programs that deliver vision care, train local eye care professionals and develop infrastructure.

We fund sustainable development projects which support the goals of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight. So far, more than US$10 million in funding from donors and sponsors had been disbursed to 97 projects in 39 countries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Established in 2003, Optometry Giving Sight is a joint initiative of the World Council of Optometry, the Brien Holden Vision Institute and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Optometry Giving Sight is currently raising funds in Canada, Australia, USA, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway and Singapore.

Optometrists are eliminating refractive error blindness and vision impairment – simply the need for an eye exam.

Raising funds…

  • By inviting regular monthly or annual donations;
  • By inviting optometrists and their practices to participate in one of our appeals, such as the World Sight Day Challenge or other fund raising activities;
  • By inviting optometrists to “Tick Yes to OGS” on their annual association dues renewal invoice;
  • Through optometry industry corporate sponsorships and donations by their employees;
  • Through patients making donations;
  • Through general donations at givingsight.org.

Funding programs…

We distribute funds to partners who implement projects that ensure sustainable, lasting results in three ways:

  • Train – local eye care professionals and;
  • Establish – vision centres for sustainability to;
  • Deliver – eye care and low cost glasses.

OPTOMETRY GIVING SIGHT

For More Information about OGS in Canada please contact Corrine Waldon as follows: B110 – 4 Parkdale Cresent NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 3T8, Canada Tel: 1-800-585-8265 ext 4 Tel: +1 403-670-2619 Fax: +1-888-425-7296


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