Operation Homefront, Inc.

Transcription

1 Operation Homefront, Inc. General Information Contact Information Nonprofit Operation Homefront, Inc. Address P.O. Box Nashville, TN Phone (615) Web Site Web Site Facebook Facebook At A Glance Year of Incorporation 2005 Operation Homefront Tennessee and Kentucky 1

2 Mission & Impact Statements Mission MISSION: Build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive in the communities that they ve worked so hard to protect. Background Operation Homefront has consistently earned high ratings from leading charity rating services, including Charity Navigator, which gave OH 4 Stars for 10 consecutive years for superior service and accountability. At Operation Homefront, 92 percent of expenditures goes directly toward delivering programs and services to the military families who need it most. Impact Accomplishments: Needs Met in Food Assistance: Rent/Mortgage/Moving Assistance: Auto/Home/Appliance Repairs/Payments: Child and Dependent Care: 7 5. Travel and Transportation: Critical Baby Items: Home Repair and Home items: Auto Repair: Utilities: Provided 506 Easter Baskets, 1919 Thanksgiving meals, 34,088 Backpacks during our Back-to-school Brigade, 5947 Holiday Food Baskets, 22,894 Holiday Toys and 2953 at Baby Showers Goals for : 1. Continue providing food for families in need. 2. Provide emergency financial assistance to families who encounter financial difficulties while their soldier is deployed. 3. Provide assistance to our returning wounded warriors to help ease the stress and close the gap until adequate VA benefits begin. Needs Most Pressing Needs: 1. Funds for emergency food for families. 2. Funds for solving financial emergencies encountered by military families with spouse deployed or directly related to deployment. 3. Funds to assist wounded warriors who are in reduced pay status while awaiting VA adjudication of disability. 4. Funds to help cover the ever increasing operating costs so that we can continue to return as many dollars at possible to the families. 5. Sponsorship for our morale events that the families can participate in regardless of other financial needs. Other ways to donate, support, or volunteer In an effort to make it convenient to donate we accept donations online at or by sending a check donation to Operation Homefront, P.O. Box , Nashville, TN In-Kind donations are accepted by contacting the Nashville Field Office at We also run a "needs" ticker across the bottom of our website page with information of how to donate those special needs to our soldiers and Wounded Warriors. We thrive because of volunteers. OH holds many morale events every year and they are a success because of donations and volunteers. For volunteer opportunities please contact our office. We would love to get you connected in an area of your passion! Service Categories 2

3 Primary Organization Category Human Services / Emergency Assistance (Food, Clothing, Cash) Secondary Organization Category Housing, Shelter / Home Improvement/Repairs Tertiary Organization Category Public & Societal Benefit / Military/Veterans' Organizations Areas of Service Areas Served KY TN This field office serves the entire states of KY and TN. Board Chair Statement I served as a National Guardsman, Regular Army and Dept of Army Civilian for 52 years. I served in several assignments where I saw and worked with families who encountered financial hardships. As a young enlisted man my wife and I lived on three week old hamburger we could buy for 39cents per pound at the end of the month. I know what need is and have experienced it. Later as an officer in the Army and a senior civilian employee in charge of an army installation I saw the need again at army installations in Fulda Germany and Wiesbaden, Germany. I am very careful about whom I give money to as I want to know it is going to the mission and not to someone's salary or into their pockets. Operation Homefront fulfills the needs of low ranking soldiers and families and 94 cents of every dollar goes to mission expenses. This was an organization I could support. My biggest challenge is finding donors and financing the work of the local chapter. As an Army officer I never had to ask for donations to conduct my work and I am at a loss to know how to solicit funds. I was a business manager at Ft Campbell for nonappropriated funds with fifteen businesses under me with a $15 million budget. I believe very strongly in the mission of Operation Homefront and expend considerable personal income to conduct briefings to National Guard spouses across the states of Ky and TN. I believe in the mission and the work we are doing. 3

4 Programs Programs Holiday House Description Holiday House is one of our largest and most popular programs. Through this program families E6 and below that exhibit the need are allowed to register and receive a time slot to come in and "shop" for their children for Christmas. We are housed in a building set up like a small house. Each room represents an age group. The soldier is able to pick out an age appropriate toy, a book, 5 stocking stuffers per child and 1 game per family. Our amazing corp of volunteers make this such an enjoyable experience for the soldiers by assisting them through the entire process. This program takes alot of resources both financial and in volunteers numbers but is so very rewarding for all involved. Budget Category Population Served Short Term Success Long term Success Program Success Monitored By Human Services, General/Other Holiday Assistance Families, Families, Children and Youth (0-19 years) Short term success is that over 700 families enjoyed Christmas with their children. Statistically the holidays bring on an increased amount of stress. These families have an unusual about of stress daily while their spouse is deployed or for the soldier while he/she is away worrying about the children being without a parent for the holiday. This program can at least eliminate that concern We believe that by providing something as simple as a toy, a book, a game and a few stocking stuffers that we are allowing these families the opportunity celebrate such an important time of the year when they otherwise would not be able to do so especially if a loved one is deployed or going through rehabilitation for wounds. Also, our hope is that they will someday pay it forward to another soldier//family. Recurrence of requests for assistance. Examples of Program Success We were able to double the amount of families served from 2010 to

5 Back to School Brigade Description Another critical element of Operation Homefront's mission is providing needed school supplies to the children of military families. Our Back to School Brigade addresses this need. Every yea, Operation Homefront offices across the country distribute backpacks filled with school supplies to children of military service members. Although most of the school supplies are donated through Dollar Tee, money is still needed to purchase the backpacks themselves. This has become a very popular and welcomed program for military families around the country who struggle to buy the supplies their children need to start the school year. Budget Category Human Services, General/Other Human Services, General/Other Population Served K-12 (5-19 years),, Short Term Success Long term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Nothing feels better than to be the same as your peers in certain areas. Children of lower ranking families don't want to feel different because of their parents rank. This program starts them all on a level playing field and also helps the teachers by having prepared students come to class. Prepared children are children ready to learn! By providing school supplies/backpacks to the children of these families, we are pivotal in setting them up for success to start the school year with the confidence of knowing they are ready. They are able to participate in class with all of the proper supplies required specifically for their age group. With the rising costs of supplies and the ever growing need for more items by the schools that they themselves can no longer provide due to their own budget cuts, we are that go between for most of these families allowing the soldier to be mission focused knowing their children can be focused on their "job" of being students. Teachers have told us how nice it has been to have the students come to class the first day of school with supplies and backpacks. Many teacher's have to spend their own money to have supplies available so that students can participate in their class. Students that come to class not prepared are most often a distraction to the learning environment and to their peers around them. We have seen exponential increases in the numbers of backpack/supplies being requested as the economy and the toll of deployment continues to take its toll on military families. In backpacks were supplied with about 25 on a waiting list In backpacks were supplied with about 35 on a waiting list In 2012 we are preparing to fill and distribute 1000 backpacks and have a current waiting list of 35 beyond what we can provide. It is obvious that the program is working and that others are realizing that we can help them. Approximately 80% of our families E6 and below benefit from this great program. 5

6 Critical Financial Assistance Program Description Operation Homefront provides emergency financial assistance to soldiers, families and wounded warriors. As a non-profit, we rely completely on donations to support our mission. We proudly have earned a 4 Star rating from the non-profit watchdog, Charity Navigator, for 4 years in a row. We take seriously returning.92 of every dollar donated back to the mission of helping soldiers and their families. What we provide is peace of mind not more debt. All of our assistance is in grant form and is sent directly to the vendor that the soldier owes the money to, guaranteeing it isn't being misused or misdirected. The only assistance the soldier/family member receive themselves are commissary vouchers for food/critical baby item assistance. We assist in the payment of food, critical baby items, utilities, rent/mortgage, automobile payments and or repairs, insurance and home repairs. All of the aforementioned criteria are researched by a qualified CSR to verify that the need is real. Depending on the status of the soldier they are referred to Financial Counseling after a certain number of times that we provide assistance to them. Budget 100, Category Population Served Short Term Success Long term Success Program Success Monitored By Human Services, General/Other Emergency Assistance Families, Adults, Children and Youth (0-19 years) By offering our assistance as a grant basis only, we have helped these families simply incur a little bump instead of a mountain in their financial futures. 75% of military families will struggle financially due to the additional expenses brought on by deployment or disability. This program without question helps ease that. This program allows the soldiers to be mission focused if they are deployed knowing that their family is being taken care of back home. It allows our wounded warriors some much needed assistance during a time of high stress and transition to the VA system which can take upwards of 12 months to bring about a solution. The long term success of this program is endless and the only boundaries put upon its success are having the financial means to provide assistance. We help families every day just get a little bit of help and then they get back on their feet without any additionally incurred debts. This allows them to move forward in the many aspects of military family life. There will always be soldiers serving therefore there will always be soldiers in need. Our programs are monitored by our National headquarters in San Antonio, TX. We are also registered with Charity Navigator which monitors all nonprofits and rates them by their success' and failures. 4 being the highest rating for program delivery. As mentioned above, OH has received that rating for 4 years in a row. Only a few other non-profits can boast that rating consecutively. Examples of Program Success We hear back from our families all the time saying how helpful the assistance was to them. Some even say we saved their marriages which were really struggling due to financial burdens. Without those burdens they were able to focus on other areas of the marriage/family and resolve the issues. 85% of our cases never need to apply for assistance with us again. 10% have received professional financial counseling that enabled them to be prepared for a brighter future. 6

7 CEO Comments Challenges: The largest challenge faced by this Field Office is to obtain sufficient funds to continue doing the mission work. As the reputation of the field office expands so do the requests for assistance. We have 30,000 troops stationed at Ft Campbell and several thousand National Guard from both KY and TN. We are beginning to receive requests from clients in the eastern and western ends of both states as word of our mission reaches them. My concern is to have enough funds to meet the needs of the families. To tell them we do not have enough funds to help them is unacceptable. Opportunities: There are numerous foundations who donate to charities and I wish to solicit their attention to our mission. I believe there are some who will support our mission. Added Comment: Not mentioned is that Operation Homefront also operates two OH Villages. One at Ft Sam Houston, TX and one at Walter Reed Hospital Virginia. Our National HQ funds these operations and soldiers remain there free of charge until their complete medical, rehab or counseling is complete. Wounded warriors are eligible for assistance for 18 months after departing the military if they are rated disabled by VA. Some of our largest financial requests are from this group for rent, car payments, utilities, food and clothing. 7

8 Governance Board Chair Board Chair Mr. William F. McDonald Company Affiliation Retired Term June 2010 to June Board Members Name Affiliation Status LTC (Retired) Bob Pedigo Retired Militay Voting Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 0 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 9 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Board Demographics - Gender Male 7 Female 2 Unspecified 0 Governance Board Term Lengths 0 Board Term Limits 0 Board Meeting Attendance % 100% Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? No Yes Percentage Making Monetary Contributions 100% Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions 100% Constituency Includes Client Representation No Number of Full Board Meetings Annually 4 Board CoChair Board CoChair Mr Rob Hensley 8

9 Company Affiliation VP of Investment at Unum Group Term June 2010 to June Standing Committees Project Oversight Risk Management Provisions Directors and Officers Policy Additional Board Members Name Mrs. Carla Arevalo Mr Ben Ashlock Mr. James (Jay) Bicknell II Mrs. Sandra Gonzales Mr. Robert Hensley Mr. William McDonald Mr Rick Neuman Mr. Mark Pflanzer Mr. John Quinn Affiliation Community Volunteer Colton's Steak House Community Volunteer Community Volunteer VP Investment Strategy Unum Group Retired Community Volunteer President Banc Services Group, Inc. Community Volunteer CEO Comments This Field Office was re-born in March 2010 with an active and supportive board of directors and a hard working Executive Director. Starting at ground zero the chapter has grown in two years to be in the top 3 chapters of the 23 chapters in the parent organization. We tried to brief every deploying National Guard units in the two states about the assistance available to them and their families. During this period we managed to change the operating procedures of the parent organization to where we could provide assistance to National Guard families for 90 days before activation and for 120 days after return from deployment. This has become a significant benefit to National Guardsmen who lost jobs during deployment as it permitted us to provide funds for family sustainment while they searched for a job. Operation Homefront KY/TN has recently transitioned from a chapter to a field office of our National Headquarters in San Antonio, TX. This is going to open many doors of new opportunities to serve our soldiers and their families. We receive no government funds and must raise the needed funds to continue operations. It is significant that.95 of every dollar of all funds raised go to program delivery. 9

10 Management Executive Director/CEO Executive Director Ms. Tina Englen Term Start Feb Experience Volunteer for one year and on the job training for one year. Ms. Englen has taken this new chapter from a small 1 person chapter to overseeing 2 part-time, grant paid employees. One on location with her at Ft. Campbell and one at Ft. Knox, KY in a satellite office. Her experience continues to grow as the Executive Director.. Now as a fully transitioned Field Office of our National Headquarters her title is Executive Director. She continues to work hard to increase her knowledge and pass it along to her other two employees as well as her advisory board and volunteers. Co-CEO Experience N/A Staff Full Time Staff 1 Part Time Staff 2 Volunteers 85 Contractors 0 Retention Rate 100% Plans & Policies Does the organization have a documented Fundraising Plan? Under Development Does the organization have an approved Strategic Plan? Yes Number of years Strategic Plan Considers 5 When was Strategic Plan adopted? Jan 2010 In case of a change in leadership, is a Management Succession plan in place? No Does the organization have a Policies and Procedures Plan? Yes Does the organization have a Nondiscrimination Policy? No Does the organization have a Whistle Blower Policy? Yes 10

11 Does the organization have a Document Destruction Policy? Yes External Assessments and Accreditations Assessments/Accreditations Year Charity Navigator 2011 Charity Navigator 2013 CEO Comments Operation Homefront's greatest challenge is keeping up with the demands of the needs of the soldiers we service. We strive to reach our community to give them opportunities to give to our families. We continually request grants and work without hesitation to raise funds through different venues. Our goal is to always return as much of every single dollar we receive back to our mission. 11

12 Financials Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Start Jan Fiscal Year End Dec Projected Revenue $55,637, Projected Expenses $35,768, Endowment Value $0.00 Endowment Spending Policy N/A Endowment Spending Percentage (if selected) 0% Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Total Revenue $45,106,623 $50,452,158 $62,205,361 Total Expenses $56,349,040 $52,833,507 $55,096,685 Revenue Sources Foundation and Corporation $0 $0 $0 Contributions Government Contributions $0 $0 $0 Federal $0 $0 $0 State $0 $0 $0 Local $0 $0 $0 Unspecified $0 $0 $0 Individual Contributions $16,913,297 $16,257,008 $24,180,918 Indirect Public Support $0 $0 $0 Earned Revenue $0 $0 $0 Investment Income, Net of Losses $21,011 $327,704 $466,334 Membership Dues $0 $0 $0 Special Events $313,203 $289,936 $270,913 Revenue In-Kind $27,863,261 $33,596,383 $37,278,047 Other ($4,149) ($18,873) $9,149 12

13 Expense Allocation Program Expense $51,532,818 $48,574,690 $50,890,374 Administration Expense $2,564,814 $2,249,705 $2,167,581 Fundraising Expense $2,251,408 $2,009,112 $2,038,730 Payments to Affiliates Total Revenue/Total Expenses Program Expense/Total Expenses 91% 92% 92% Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 13% 12% 8% Assets and Liabilities Total Assets $41,633,249 $53,520,927 $56,382,123 Current Assets $4,836,501 $7,778,435 $7,744,773 Long-Term Liabilities $0 $882,746 $0 Current Liabilities $1,611,430 $1,482,854 $2,573,806 Total Net Assets $40,021,819 $51,155,327 $53,808,317 Short Term Solvency Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities Long Term Solvency Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 0% 2% 0% Top Funding Sources Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount Noncash Contributions $27,863,261 Noncash Contributions $33,596,383 Noncash Contributions $37,278,047 Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Contributions, Gifts and Grants $16,913,297 Fundraising Events $313,203 Contributions, Gifts and Grants $16,257,008 Investment Income $327,704 Contributions, Gifts and Grants $24,180,918 Investment Income $466,334 Capital Campaign Is the organization currently conducting a Capital Campaign for an endowment or the purchase of a major asset? No Capital Campaign Goal $0.00 State Charitable Solicitations Permit TN Charitable Solicitations Registration Yes - Expires June 2018 GivingMatters.com Financial Comments Financial figures taken from the national 990 and audit. Financial documents prepared by Akin, Doherty, Klein & Feuge, P.C. Comments provided by Kathryn Bennett 9/7/17. Created Copyright 2018 The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee 13