Scituate Community Christmas Inc
Making a Difference, One Neighbor at at Time
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
To meet the needs of our community at Christmastime and throughout the year by supporting families during times of hardship while inspiring the values of kindness, compassion, philanthropy and volunteerism. Founded in 1989, Scituate Community Christmas is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization formed to help provide direct assistance, services, and new Christmas gifts to Scituate families who are faced with economic or other hardships. Since 1989, Scituate Community Christmas has served thousands of families needing assistance. The organizations focus includes individuals, families, children under the age of 18, at Christmas, year-round, the disabled, and elderly without family in the area. There is strict criteria for our services; all recipients of gifts and / or assistance must reside in the Town of Scituate, attend Scituate Public Schools or a member of their household attends Scituate Public Schools, or be employed by a Scituate-based employer.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Direct Assistance
We provide essential needs to qualifying individuals and families facing hardships throughout the year. Direct assistance includes support with rent/mortgage, essential utility bills, health & wellness services, medical expenses, groceries/meals, gas/auto, as well as gifts during the holiday season. We occasionally partner with like minded organizations in Plymouth County to broaden our reach.
Our Direct Assistance Program also includes back to school needs to provide the necessary tools for all students to be successful on day one. Scituate Community Christmas partners with the local schools, businesses, and neighborhood ambassadors to carry out this program. We typically partner with School on Wheels MA in an effort to expand our reach to other areas in Massachusetts.
Community Impact Programs
Our Community Impact programs support dedicated groups of local residents - from veterans to first responders, teachers to the elderly - and serves as a reminder of our collective gratitude for their service, dedication to our community and/or remind them they are not alone. Year round programming includes: Spread the Love (target: Nursing Home/Care Facilities), Hope Happens Here (target: Elderly living in subsidized housing), First Responder BBQ, Giving Tuesday (Target: recognition of local group/unsung hero), Community Hero/Sea of Support (Target: Veterans), Susan Phippen Give (holiday delivery to those who are isolated and/or without family).
Acts of Kindness
In the spirit of SCC Founder, Susan Phippen, the Acts of Kindness program helps spread joy and light to those individuals living in Scituate who perhaps have limited contact with family, are overwhelmed, overtired or overworked or simply need a show of appreciation.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Scituate Community Christmas launched a new website in 2018, that coincided with the launch of our expanded mission of giving. Since then our website is maintained daily and traffic has increased.
Number of new grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Direct Assistance
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This metric measures the total number of grants received during a calendar year. Grant funding helps to build sustainability for long term growth. Unsolicited grants are not included in this metric.
Total number of organization members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This metric includes volunteer board members, committee volunteers and paid staff.
Number of families served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Direct Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
From 2018-2021 this metric measures the holiday assistance program only and starting in 2022 captures both holiday and year round assistance.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, Parents, Widows and widowers, Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Total number of direct assistance recipients plus the number of beneficiaries to our all our community impact programs.
Average number of service recipients per month
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Adults, Children and youth, Single parents, Grandparents
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Total number of recipients and beneficiaries of all programs, direct assistance, and acts of kindness over the entire calendar year divided by 12.
Number of clients referred to other services as part of their support strategy
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people, Veterans, Families, Parents
Related Program
Direct Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number represents households. All clients served are referred to supporting orgs as part of the casework intake process, from local food pantries to hardship-specific organizations, to town agencies.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Caregivers, Families, Parents, Widows and widowers, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Volunteers engaged across all programs.
Number of casework interviews performed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people, Veterans, Single parents, Widows and widowers
Related Program
Direct Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total cases served = 177, each case was interviewed, even if a reapplication. All applicants for assistance who met our criteria were interviewed to determine best way to assist with no denials.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The organization aims to address the impact of financial hardship for families that are part of the greater Scituate community and to work towards the goal of fostering a sense of pride and community. While toys and school supplies are an important part of the organization, our focus is to also engage our neighbors and local businesses which brings out the best in all of us and becomes a part of the legacy which we all share. The Susan Phippen House, home of Scituate Community Christmas, serves as an anchor by providing a warm, welcoming space for outreach and giving while connecting people with charitable organizations to promote the common good.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our core values are the guiding principles that help us succeed:
1. Compassion - helping families and individuals when they are experiencing a financial setback with the knowledge that there is equal value in every human being.
2. Integrity - doing the right thing and being accountable to the people we humbly serve, while sharing our results, stories and lessons.
3. Transparency - commitment to our goals and the pursuit of honorable initiatives where we conduct business in a way that is honest, transparent and ethical.
4. Innovation - prepared to explore solutions that will help us improve processes and procedures that will help us meet our goals. Maintain a sense of curiosity and a willingness to adapt to a changing industry.
5. Community - collaborate with partners in our community. We aim to do more when we complement the existing resources available in our community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Scituate Community Christmas operates with support from volunteers and a dedicated Board of Directors. Individuals, families and businesses may contribute to the organization through financial donations, in-kind donations, and/or corporate partnership. The Susan Phippen House, home of Scituate Community Christmas, serves as an anchor by providing a warm, welcoming space for outreach and giving while connecting people with charitable organizations to promote the common good. Long term investments in donor stewardship and program management are part of the on-going growth plan for the organization.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Accomplished: Fiscal transparency and improved tracking systems
Accomplished: New board members and expanded committees
Accomplished: Improved donor management system
Accomplished: Elevated stewardship using new CRM
Accomplished: Financial Review
Accomplished: Created and contracted a new consultant role of Managing Director
Accomplished: Branding Guidelines
Accomplished: Updated the process behind our longest running fundraising initiative to honor tradition while modernizing donor experience to retain donors and increase revenue
In Progress: Strategy Planning
In Progress: Succession planning
In Progress: Training for Board/Volunteers
In Progress: Further expanded committees with formalized role descriptions
In Progress: Updated processes and systems to more efficiently meet our goals and the needs of our community specifically during the Holidays
In Progress: Annual stewardship events for major and loyal donors
In Progress: Development of an improved and refined fundraising plan using strategic segmenting of donor base and cultivation cycle of individual donors
Next: Involvement of youth advisory group
Next: Build professional advisory group
Next: Expanded physical space to further meet the needs of our community
Next: Formalize a planned giving program
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, 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 identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- 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.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild 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.
Scituate Community Christmas Inc
Board of directorsas of 02/13/2024
Kim Stewart
Scituate Community Christmas
Term: 2023 - 2026
Jill Cuomo
Scituate Community Christmas
Term: 2023 - 2026
Stephanie Loeffel
Treasurer
Suzanne O'Brien
Secretary
Jill Cuomo
Vice President
Paul Norton
Director
Emily Anderson
Director
Sarah Murray
Director
Kim Stewart
President
Kelly Butterworth
Director
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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