San Clemente Military Family Outreach
Emergency financial when urgent needs are not being met by military resources
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Currently we are experiencing a growth in the number of referrals for assistance. Our organization has steadily increased the military awareness of our services. We were initially founded to serve the Northside of Camp Pendleton housing area but in the past few months we have started to receive requests from Southside Camp Pendleton and even from San Diego. Facing increased needs, we have embarked on a more comprehensive fund raising campaign from our current donors. This year also saw our organization obtaining our own 501c3 status thus making us eligible for grant applications. We have subscribed to a grant search agency and are looking to apply to applicable grants to help us meet our increased needs.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Emergency Financial Assistance
We provide emergency financial assistance to active duty military families (primarily E6 and below) on base at Camp Pendelton for their unexpected medical & dental bills, car repairs & tires, appliances, emergency travel and every day emergencies such as food, diapers and gas.
Morale Events
We sponsor morale events on or near Camp Pendleton for the military families with the purpose of providing some of those necessity items that life requires: Baby Showers, Mother/Child Luaus, School Supplies for Teachers and Students (on base campus) and Thanksgiving Meals (>1,000 Turkeys!)
Where we work
External reviews
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 San Clemente Military Family Outreach provides emergency assistance to military families, especially Marine and Navy families in the north-San Onofre end of Camp Pendleton. We primarily assist E6 and below families on Camp Pendleton, because 10% of these families are paid a military salary below the poverty line. The rest have an income that makes it difficult to plan for “a rainy day”, and often the spouse is unable to find work because the family moves so often. We aim to faithfully serve the young families who sacrifice so much for us all.
Our #1 goal is to respond to the day-to-day requests for emergency assistance - diapers, food, clothing, gas, car repairs, health and dental expenses, and other unexpected financial challenges.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Families in crisis find a safety net in SCMFO. A low-key, one-on-one interview with our office team begins a pathway to resolution of the crisis. We specifically assist with extraordinary needs that pose a threat to the family’s financial welfare – for example, a pediatric dental bill that the family cannot afford. Another example would be a family that is out of cash just before the next pay period – we would offer this family food from our pantry, diapers if there are infants in the house, and gas cards, so that the service member can continue to get to work.
We also conduct morale events, which helps us to spread the word on base about our services. Many of our volunteers have served on active duty, share a strong bond with the families, and seize any and every opportunity to lift the spirits of spouses and families.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
SCMFO has been working with military families on Camp Pendleton since 2002. As an all-volunteer organization, not one penny of donations pays a salary to our team or to our Board of Directors. We work to minimize all administrative, fundraising and operating costs – because we know that every dollar we spend on overhead is a dollar that we can’t use to serve a military family in need. In 2018, a mere 5.8% of our expenses went to operating costs and fundraising combined, and 94.2% of our expenses directly supported military families with emergency health, food, transportation and child-related costs.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Annually we assist 150-200 families experiencing a financial crisis. Unfortunately, in 2018, incoming donations only equaled 75% of the aid and support SCMFO provided to military families. We were able to continue the required level of aid due to a one-time estate donation from a generous supporter, which sustained our mission. If we don’t increase our donations, however, we’ll have to scale back our assistance to Annually, we assist 150-200 families experiencing a financial crisis. Unfortunately, in 2018, incoming deserving families. Next, we’ll refocus our fundraising efforts so that incoming donations match the needs of families.
Annually, we reach more than 2000 families through our morale events. We are best known for our annual “Turkey Giveaway” each November, to approximately 1000 families. We hold an annual baby shower for military moms-to-be, like their family would have done at home. And we enthusiastically respond to all requests from the elementary school where children of our service members are educated – we consider it an accomplishment that the Vice Principal calls us when the students are in need. We’ve already started to scale back on morale events and will continue to do so if we are not able to jump start our fundraising efforts.
Achieving the GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency will help our community have confidence in their donations, so that we can continue our support for the welfare and morale of military families on Camp Pendleton. Thank you for your consideration.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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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.
San Clemente Military Family Outreach
Board of directorsas of 06/26/2023
Judy Franz
SCMFO President
Term: 2022 - 2024
David Mauerman
SCMFO Vice Presudent
Term: 2022 - 2024
Laura Ann Pephens
Treasurer
Tina Inglish
Secretary
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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