SILVER2023

Hope Unexpected

Bridging the gap and offering support to make success and self-suficiency possible

Byron Center, MI   |  https://www.hopeunexpected.org

Mission

NURTURING, EMPOWERING, AND EQUIPPING YOUNG SINGLE MOTHERS BY DEMONSTRATING THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST.

Ruling year info

2014

Principal Officer

Susan Lickley

Main address

PO Box 60

Byron Center, MI 49315 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

32-0410678

NTEE code info

Christian (X20)

IRS filing requirement

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

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2021, 2019 and 2018.
Register now

Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Hope Unexpected seeks to nurture, empower and equip young single moms and provide them with the support needed to gain success and self-sufficiency. Single moms often face barriers that their partnered counterparts do not. These include increased rates of depression and anxiety, increased rates of poverty, less educational opportunities, lack of support and more.

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?

Hope Unexpected's Young Single Mothers Program

Hope Unexpected's program includes:

Free Professional Counseling: moms and their children can work through any difficult situation with the help of a caring licensed professional counselor.

Monday Meets: Moms are able to get to know other young women who are also parenting alone and enjoy a free meal amongst our supportive community. Children are welcome and childcare is provided by licensed teachers. Monday Meets include: Faith-based discussion of real-life topics, Educational classes, Diaper and wipe distribution, a gas card to cover travel to our location and additional resources.

Mentorship: One-on-one support to walk alongside our moms as they plan and work toward their goals.

Car Care Program: Clients can earn points by attending Monday Meets to help pay for car repairs.

Prayer: We will pray for our clients and with them. We believe with God all things are possible!

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Adolescent parents
Single parents
Pregnant people

Where we work

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of young single mothers currently being served at Hope Unexpected

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adolescents, Pregnant people, Young adults, Infants and toddlers, Children

Related Program

Hope Unexpected's Young Single Mothers Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Mothers in our program receive free counseling services, the opportunity to come together in fellowship with other young single moms at Monday Meets, mentor support and access to our car care program.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Hope Unexpected has continued to grow. Both of our locations are now at capacity, serving 50 moms total and more than 120 kids. While 100% privately funded, we have had tremendous support from our community and faithful donors, which has enabled us to grow and continue to meet the needs of the moms and children we serve.

Our goals as we move into our 2023-24 year include growing our programing to include more moms and children, increasing our visibility within the community to assist more young single mothers as they embark on their parenting journey, and adding additional programming, as needed, to help meet the growing needs of our client population.

Hope Unexpected has begun to set-up strategies to meet our goal. We have maintained a highly specialized staff with years of experience in the nonprofit and social work/direct care industries. We also frequently conduct surveys and interviews with our clients to find out what services are most valuable to them and what services could be added to provide them with more support as they parent.

As we continue on this path of growth, we will analyze every step of the way to ensure the women and children we serve continue to be put first and all of their needs are met.

With additional fundraising and donor support, Hope Unexpected has been able to maintain a stable staff with experience in supporting clients as they set and achieve goals. As we continue to gain more support and additional clients, we will be able to hire more highly qualified staff to meet the needs of the women and children we serve. We also hope to add additional programs and even a third location if the funding allows.

Hope Unexpected hired additional staff in 2022 and worked to implement new processes and improve current processes and programming procedures. We continued to grow our programming numbers, filling both our Byron Center and Grand Rapids West locations. Hope Unexpected also added group counseling to both locations to address an increased need for mental health support, specifically related to anxiety and stress management in parenting.

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 shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    We service young single mothers. We collect feedback via anonymous surveys.

  • 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

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

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback

Financials

Hope Unexpected
lock

Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan.

Subscribe

Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our 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.

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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.

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.

Hope Unexpected

Board of directors
as of 02/21/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Tom Wychers

Heyboer & Bolt

Jane Oosterman

Hope Network

Scott Dunning

State Farm of Caledonia

Jess Ogle

Floral Ave Promo

Pat Huizenga

Retired

Lori Oosterman

Corwell Health

Mary Nader

BP Realty

Gordon Christian

Southwest Airlines

Kelly McCarthy

McCarthy Group

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? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • 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? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/21/2023
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

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/24/2022

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

Policies and processes
  • 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.