GOLD2022

FURNITURE FRIENDS

Creating homes. Rebuilding lives.

Westbrook, ME   |  https://furniturefriends.org

Mission

Furniture Friends distributes donated furniture to people in need throughout Greater Portland (ME). Recipients include people who have been recently housed, those with physical/intellectual disabilities, veterans, women fleeing domestic violence, immigrants, and others on public assistance.

Ruling year info

1998

Executive Director

Jenn McAdoo

Main address

PO Box 631

Westbrook, ME 04098 USA

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Formerly known as

Greater Portland Charitable Furniture Bank

EIN

01-0513662

NTEE code info

Human Service Organizations (P20)

Other Housing Support Services (L80)

Other Housing Support Services (L80)

IRS filing requirement

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

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Communication

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?

Acquiring and distributing essential household furniture to low income residents of Greater Portland

Furniture Friends has one main program of collecting donated furniture from community members and local businesses (i.e., hotels, restaurants, retirement communities, etc.) then distributes the furniture to low-income households throughout Greater Portland. Clients are referred to us from over 120+ social service providers (i.e., shelters, crisis centers, case workers, hospitals, schools, faith communities) we partner with. Additionally, we recruit volunteers -- either individually or as teams -- to help us in our ongoing operations.

Population(s) Served
Social and economic status

Where we work

Awards

Agency of Distinction 2016

WCSH 6

Videos

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?

    Low- and no-income residents of southern Maine who lack the resources to purchase essential household furniture on their own. While all of our clients are economically disadvantaged, many deal with other challenges in their lives such as being newly housed after a period of homelessness or incarceration, recovering from substance use, or living with a physical and/or intellectual disability. Additionally, many of our clients are immigrants who are new to Maine, have fled domestic violence or are veterans in crisis.

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

    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?

    We are trying to fast-track service to clients who are living in empty apartments (versus those who need an occasional piece of furniture).

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

    We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

FURNITURE FRIENDS
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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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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

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

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

FURNITURE FRIENDS

Board of directors
as of 08/25/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Katie Howard

Davis Family Fdn./Davis Conservation Fdn.

Samantha Commeau

Bank of America

Betsy Smith

Executive Director, The Right Question Institute

Deb Cook

Nonprofit Consultant

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? No
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • 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 1/20/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

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, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/20/2022

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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • 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.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.