Raytown Emergency Assistance Program, Inc.

Transcription

1 Raytown Emergency Assistance Program, Inc. General Information Contact Information Nonprofit Raytown Emergency Assistance Program, Inc. Address 9300 E 75th Street Raytown, MO Phone (816) Fax Website Facebook facebook.com/raytownreap Twitter twitter.com/raytownreap info@raytownreap.org At A Glance Former Names How to donate, support, and volunteer Raytown Energy Assistance Program You can mail us a check, drop food or monetary donations by the office, or make a donation through our website: Follow us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter to keep up-to-date on all of our current events! 1

2 Mission & Areas Served Statements Mission Statement Mission -- To consistently deliver emergency services, making the clients' dignity, self esteem and stabilization a top priority. The short-term goal of the Raytown Emergency Assistance Program (REAP) is to help qualified families and individuals who lack the funds to pay their bills and put food on the table. We supply food from our pantry, and help pay past-due utility bills and rent. Also, we provide back-to-school supplies, Thanksgiving food and a Christmas Store. Our long-term objective is to follow the emergency care with programming that will help those who receive our emergency services become more self-sufficient, no longer living from crisis to crisis. Background Statement REAP has been meeting the emergency assistance needs of Raytown C-2 School District residents since Originally organized as a 501 (c)3 agency to provide help with utility bills, the agency was know as Raytown ENERGY Assistance Program. Funds were administered by the Community Services League of Independence from a satellite office in space donated by the Blue Ridge Presbyterian Church in Raytown. In 1990, the growth in both demand for services and funds being raised locally prompted the REAP Board of Directors to vote to become an independent social services agency. The name was changed in 1991 to Raytown EMERGENCY Assistance Program to reflect this broader mission. The agency continued to operate out of the church with a paid director and dedicated volunteers. As REAP sought ways of helping clients overcome their need for assistance, classes in foods and nutrition, budgeting and job readiness were added. In 1993, REAP became a United Way agency. Much of the operating funds then, as they do today, come from the donations of local churches, civic organizations, businesses, schools and individuals. Such donations became the mainstay of a back-to-school supplies program introduced in By 1997, continued growth in both clients and programs finally taxed the ability of the Blue Ridge Presbyterian Church to provide adequate space. In 1998, after a capital funds drive, REAP was able to buy and occupy a converted house at 7218 Maple. Even then, additional space had to be found for auxiliary programs such as the Christmas Store, school supplies program and classroom training. REAP's caseload doubled between 2002 and 2005, forcing another search for adequate space. When no suitable and affordable existing building could be found, the Board of Directors voted in 2006 to conduct a capital funds drive to finance a new building on donated property. Thanks to the in-kind donations of local professionals and businessmen, a dedicated volunteer crew, grants and other fund raising, the building is now a reality. Occupancy of the new building in September 2009 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the story of a this vitally important humanitarian agency. Impact Statement In 2016/17, the Raytown Emergency Assistance Program (REAP) has been able to continue its momentum in accomplishing many of the goals that have been set in place. One goal was to start a free computer literacy class for our job-seeking clients. REAP partnered with the Mid- Continent Public Library in Raytown and utilized donated laptops from Synetic Technologies to teach one-onone computer basics. We had several job-seekers who took the class to learn and Google Docs, and we also had many seniors who wanted to learn how to safely maneuver the internet so they could learn how to pay their bills and contact their doctors as information has been moved to an online platform. Another goal was to streamline efficiency of the day-to-day operations. We did this quickly by moving our scheduling system to a secure computer based scheduler, making scheduling appointments and verifying information of our 3,500+ clients much quicker. We cut down operational costs by reducing paper waste and printing. Our daily operations now run smoother and with less confusion and wait time for our families in need. Our third goal was to increase the diversity of our volunteer base and our Board of Directors to better represent the demographics we serve. We have several Spanish speaking volunteers and translators available on speaker phone, and are seeking new Board Members for the 2017 term. Needs Statement 1.Grant funding for a Volunteer Coordinator position 2.General operating support 3.New outdoor mats for our main entrances ($250) 4.Outside donation bin for weekend donations ($999) 5.Non-perishable food items for our pantry 2

3 CEO/Executive Director/Board Chair Statement The Raytown Emergency Assistance Program has experienced tremendous growth, change and success in its 34 years of operation, providing a series of much-needed services to families in need within the Raytown C-2 School District. In turn, the community, individuals and organizations have been vital to the everyday life of REAP. We experience the joy of having dedicated volunteers and donors anxious to keep assisting our programs. Unfortunately, the rate of poverty in our community has grown exponentially in the past 7 year, and continues to grow. Our needs of this organization is to continue to raise the funds needed to support our basic services. Second, the number of dedicated volunteers working in our agency will need to expand as we reintroduce support classes and other activities, as will the staff to direct and assist them. Another issue facing us is the fact that our service area is "land-locked" -- completely surrounded by other communities and neighborhoods with their own needs. This means we must expand our pool of donors in order to continue to fulfill our mission of providing clients both emergency assistance and help with returning to self-sufficiency. It is our hope that readers of this profile will be convinced to help REAP continue a positive tradition of helping our neighbors move through difficult times to a self-supporting future. Our slogan, "A little Help... A lot of Hope", sums up the purpose to which we are deeply committed. Service Categories Emergency Assistance (Food, Clothing, Cash) Areas of Service Areas Served Areas MO - Jackson County We serve the Raytown C-2 School District 3

4 Programs Programs School Supply Program Description Category Every summer REAP aims to help over 400 students grades K-12 in the Raytown area be prepared for the upcoming school year. Families who qualify for assistance can sign up during the month of July and then receive a time to pick up the backpacks in August volunteers will then sort, count, package, and label each backpack according to the grade level of the student. When the families receive the school supplies, they will also receive a voucher to select a pair of new shoes for their child at our local Wal-Mart up to a $25 value. Some students in our district don't have the proper supplies or attire to wear to school which can distract from the learning process. REAP wants to make sure every child has the opportunity to succeed. Education, General/Other Education, General/Other Population Served K-12 (5-19 years),, Short-Term Success Long- Term Success Program Success Monitored By The short-term achievements are more intangible results: self-esteem, hope, and motivation in the parents and children of the families we help. Achievements are seen in the joyous smile on the face of the child who just received a new pack of crayons; or the relief felt by the parents who are struggling to keep their lights on, food on their table, and trying to figure out how to pay for a new pair of shoes for their child. These are the achievements that are seen and felt, and hold true to the mission of this organization. The are several long-term goals that will result from this program. 1/3 of people living in poverty are ages Almost 70% of our students in the Raytown Schools qualify for free-and-reduced lunches. These children are born into this environment, and without proper tools and education, will only continue the cycle of poverty. By providing the tools necessary to succeed in the classroom, the School Supply program will help reduce drop-out rates in the Raytown School district, and encourage the students to continue their education which will ultimately end the cycle of poverty for that family. Unfortunately poverty is an ever growing issue in the Raytown School district, and we simply don't have the funding to eradicate poverty completely. However, we do monitor our success by communicating regularly with the counselors of the schools we support, knowing the needs of their students and teachers, and examining the percentage of students on free-and-reduced lunches. By doing this, we can make sure we are serving the greatest number of families, and helping every child have the resources to start their school year off right. 4

5 Examples of Program Success Over a decade ago, a man and his wife used REAP's food pantry and school supply services after he was laid off from his job and she was pregnant with her fourth child. Just this year, that same man spoke to a REAP employee thanking the organization for the support. He said the help he received from both the pantry and the school supplies was just enough help he needed to get through his financial crisis, and keep his children in school while he was searching for work. Ten years later, he is still gainfully employed, and all of his kids are now attending college. This an example of the impact a simple bag of school supplies can have on a family, and most importantly, the children. Christmas Gifts Description Category Our Christmas Gifts program has been helping low income families provide their children with a memorable Christmas for over 28 years. With the generous support of local businesses, organizations, churches, and individuals, we collect donated toys and household items throughout the year to fill the "store." Families sign up during the month of November and our 75 volunteers prepare goodie bags for each child, as well as package up toys and games for each age group. The parent or guardian returns in December to choose items unique for each child, and send them home with wrapping paper, tape, a bag of gifts, and even a turkey to make Christmas Day extra special. This year we are anticipating over 500 children to receive help through our Christmas Gifts program. Human Services, General/Other Holiday Assistance Population Served K-12 (5-19 years),, Short-Term Success Long- Term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success By the end of the program, over 500 children will receive gifts for Christmas morning, and the parents or guardians will have new household items and a turkey for dinner. REAP aims to relieve parents who are on fixed or low incomes of the financial burden of buying gifts for their children during the holiday season. This program implements a key element of REAP's mission: to provide hope and enhance self-esteem to low income families in the Raytown area. We want to make sure every child has the opportunity to have an enjoyable Christmas morning, and give the parents or guardians the opportunity to use their scarce income to pay for the essentials of utilities, food, rent, or medical bills. The success of this program will be measured by tracking the families who signed up for the Christmas Gifts, and monitoring their need for emergency food and/or financial assistance during the month of December and into the next year. An example of program success would be to provide a family with toys and household items, and then use their income to pay for their utilities, rent, food, or medical bills. CEO Comments Meeting the immediate needs of those who come to us for help with food, utilities, rent or other emergencies is our overriding priority. Our programs focus on allowing us to do so in the best way possible and in ways that help our clients avoid similar crises in the future. Education is key to our long-term efforts. Our requirement that anyone who receives financial aid participate in a basic financial management class is designed to help the 5

6 client more effectively manage what money they have. Unfortunately, the rapid rise in our caseload in recent years and lack of space had forced us to temporarily drop other training programs we formerly had. With the move into our new and much larger facility in September 2009, we have reinstated classes in basic nutrition and food preparation, as well as in areas such as resume preparation, job interviewing and computer skills. We also once again are able to provide child care during these classes, a major issue for many of our clients. Some of our programs go beyond basic needs to address the emotional aspects of being impoverished. How a family is able to handle special seasons such as back-to-school, Thanksgiving and Christmas is important to their feelings of self worth. Their ability to participate in the seasonal rituals of society brings them joy and hope. This nurturing is especially important for children. Perhaps that is why our back-to-school supplies program is my personal favorite. In the end, the best affirmation of our programs comes when a grateful former client returns with a check to help us help others as they were helped. 6

7 Leadership & Staff Executive Director/CEO Executive Director Mr. Michael Watson Term Start Sept Former CEOs Name Term Mr. Al Brown Feb July 2015 Ms. Holly Grimwood July Oct 2016 Senior Staff Mrs Whitney Dantzler Title Operations Manager Mr Greg Davis Title Volunteer Coordinator Staff Paid Full-Time Staff 2 Paid Part- Time Staff 1 Volunteers 200 Retention Rate 100% Paid Contractors 0 Formal Evaluations CEO Formal Evaluation CEO/Executive Formal Evaluation Frequency Senior Management Formal Evaluation Senior Management Formal Evaluation Frequency NonManagement Formal Evaluation Non Management Formal Evaluation Frequency Annually Annually No N/A Plans & Policies Organization Has a Fundraising Plan Organization Has a Strategic Plan 7

8 Management Succession Plan Organization Policy and Procedures Nondiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy Document Destruction Policy Collaborations Mid America Assistance Coalition, Raytown Chamber of Commerce, area churches and Raytown Community Interfaith Alliance, Raytown C-2 School District, United Services, Salvation Army, Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries, Catholic Charities, Harvesters, Mid Continent Public Library, Habitat for Humanity, Community Services League, and other community assistance agencies. Government Licenses Is your organization licensed by the government? No CEO Comments In the last three years, REAP has been facing the challenge of meeting the growing need in our community while seeing our revenue sources decrease. In my new role as Director, I am committed to build a strong base of local business and individual donors, while creating new fundraising opportunities in the Raytown area. With new marketing and advertising strategies, as well as a tight budget for the upcoming year, the Board and I are working hard to make sure we can effectively serve the growing number of families in need in our community, and keep the overhead administration costs low. I am grateful to work with a Board that is encouraging and supportive as well as the volunteers and community members that make these REAP programs possible. 8

9 Board & Governance Board Chair Board Chair Mr. Mark Stowell Company Affiliation None Term June 2015 to June Board Members Name Affiliation Mrs. Kaylie Baker Rokit Advertising Mr. Pat Ertz Public Water District #2 Mr. Mike Gatschet Manager- Dick Smith Ford Mr Mike McDonough Raytown Police Dept Ms Danielle Nixon Raytown School District Mr. Mark Stowell Raytown School District Mr Allan Thompson Retired /Community Volunteer Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 6 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 Board Demographics - Gender Male 5 Female 2 Unspecified 0 Governance Board Term Lengths 3 Board Term Limits 3 Board Meeting Attendance % 90% Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? Percentage Making Monetary Contributions 100% 9

10 Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions 100% Constituency Includes Client Representation No Number of Full Board Meetings Annually 6 Standing Committees CEO Comments In my years with the Raytown Emergency Assistance Program, I have been privileged to work with Boards of Directors that have been consistently supportive, caring and committed to the agency and its mission. Decisions facing the Board in recent years have become increasingly difficult as REAP's caseload continued to grow and we began to face the need for a larger facility and staff. The Board moved into a new era in 2006 when it approved proceeding with plans to construct a REAP building on property donated for that purpose. With that decision came the need for a capital campaign ten times larger than that required in 1998 when we bought our own facility after years of operating in donated space. That campaign was substantially completed in 2009 and we now are occupying the new building. The challenge now facing us is to see to the development of a strategic plan that addresses the organizational structure, staffing and fund-raising that will be needed in the next few years to allow REAP to continue to meet client needs while strengthening and expanding stabilization programs. Board President Nina Hinrichs put it simply: "Our goal is to match growth of our response with the growth of the needs of the community." I am confident we will have the strong community support and leadership needed to live up to our slogan; "A Little Help. A Lot of Hope." 10

11 Financials Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Start Jan 01, 2017 Fiscal Year End Dec 31, 2017 Projected Revenue $217, Projected Expenses $217, Endowment Value $0.00 Percentage 0% Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Total Revenue $422,424 $411,300 $400,011 Total Expenses $487,582 $467,028 $446,103 Revenue Sources Foundation and Corporation $246,679 $411,113 $248,335 Contributions Government Contributions $0 $0 $0 Federal State Local Unspecified $0 $0 $0 Individual Contributions Indirect Public Support $0 $0 $0 Earned Revenue $0 $0 $0 Investment Income, Net of Losses $168 $187 $206 Membership Dues $0 $0 $0 Special Events $0 $0 $0 Revenue In-Kind $175,577 $0 $151,470 Other $0 $0 $0 11

12 Expense Allocation Program Expense $451,691 $431,286 $411,341 Administration Expense $24,545 $24,527 $23,741 Fundraising Expense $11,346 $11,215 $11,021 Payments to Affiliates Total Revenue/Total Expenses Program Expense/Total Expenses 93% 92% 92% Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 5% 3% 4% Assets and Liabilities Total Assets $853,232 $931,664 $987,334 Current Assets $119,413 $173,965 $203,716 Long-Term Liabilities $0 $0 $0 Current Liabilities $2,893 $3,505 $3,447 Total Net Assets $850,339 $928,159 $983,887 Short Term Solvency Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities Long Term Solvency Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 0% 0% 0% Top Funding Sources Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount Anonymous $12, Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Anonymous $10, Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Anonymous $6, Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? No Goal $0.00 Capital Campaign Anticipated in Next 5 Years? No Organization Comments Financial support of REAP has continued to grow year after year. Our agency is blessed to have many generous and caring supporters. After United Way contributions, individuals, churches and civic groups provide our second largest source of funds. We also receive strong support from our business community. Like other assistance agencies, we face escalating client expenses. Not only is our caseload growing, but so is the cost of providing a basic level of assistance. Where once we could usually meet a client's needs ourselves, today's clients often must turn to two or three agencies, each of which provides a portion of the help needed. While I am convinced that the resources are available in our community to continue our current levels of support for the next few years, we must begin now to locate additional revenue sources. We have been fortunate recently to receive grant monies and are applying for more. We also recognize the need for both short-term and long-range fund-raising strategies. The challenge of raising enough funds and in-kind donations to complete the construction of our new facility while continuing our basic services was huge for an agency the size of REAP, but the community responded generously with money, in-kind donations and volunteer labor. We were able to 12

13 complete the building and are debt free. Changes occurring in the community are likely to reduce its giving capacity over the next few years, but I remain confident of our ability to meet its needs. Note: Since a large portion of revenue in the past two years was given to us to complete the building, the revenue from this point forward will be considerably less. Foundation Comments FY 2015, 2014, 2013: Financial data reported using IRS Form 990. Foundation/corporate revenue line item includes contributions from individuals. Created Copyright 2018 Greater Kansas City Community Foundation 13