Operation Warm Inc.
more than a coat
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
COVID-19 is causing unimaginable need in families. As of May 2020, 33 million people have registered for unemployment in the US. Imagine the added stress on a family, already worried about securing basic needs. It may not seem like much, but Operation Warm knows firsthand the feeling of security and hope a new, warm coat can provide to a child in uncertain times. The impact of something new to wear is profound, because it makes the child feel great. New clothing alleviates a child's social distress associated with dispossession, the visual gap compared to their peers who dress in clean, coordinated outfits. Peer acceptance and self-expression engender confidence, which in turn fosters better school performance, as well as the physical and social benefits of outdoor play. An Operation Warm coat is a tangible token of hope. The support of our donors will fund re-imagined coat giving programs that will allow us to meet the influx of need for coats expected in our communities.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Operation Warm
Operation Warm is a national nonprofit that manufactures brand new, high-quality coats for children in need. We partner with compassionate individuals, community organizations, and corporations across North America to provide emotional warmth, confidence to socialize and succeed, and hope of a brighter future through the gift of a brand new coat. Over the last 20 years, Operation Warm and our partners have used the coat as a bridge for families in need to access everything from flu shots to new books.
Operation Warm Community Heroes Program
Operation Warm partners with compassionate individuals and community Fire Fighters, Churches, and Rotary Clubs all across North America. These locally-based organizations raise awareness and funds to provide brand new coats to children in their communities.
Warm Schools Programs
Operation Warm helps companies easily execute effective workplace volunteer and community engagement programs by offering the opportunity to have a meaningful impact in the life of a child and positively contribute to their local communities. Operation Warm’s Warm Schools events, pairs up to 50 volunteers with a local school to distribute up to 500 coats to children in need.
Operation Warm - A Warm Welcome to the Library
Operation Warm teams up with libraries across the country to gift a brand new coat and new books. This innovative collaboration provides an opportunity to introduce kids and families living in need to the services and support community library branches offer beyond books.
Where we work
Awards
FedEx named Operation Warm #5 of its top 10 charitable initiatives 2008
FedEX
Commendation 2008
Council of Delaware County, PA
Commendation 2008
City Council of Philadelphia
FedEx named Operation Warm #5 of its top 10 charitable initiatives 2009
FedEx
FedEx named Operation Warm #5 of its top 10 charitable initiatives 2010
FedEx
FedEx named Operation Warm #5 of its top 10 charitable initiatives 2011
FedEx
Commendation 2010
Wells Fargo
Finalist, East Coast Charities with Outstanding Impact for Children in Need 2012
4th Annual Classy Awards
Finalist 2012
Tom's of Maine 50 States for Good
FedEx named Operation Warm #5 of its top 10 charitable initiatives 2012
FedEx
Heavy Hitter Award 2012
Salvation Army
Finalist with FedEx, Social Responsibility Award 2019
The North American Employee Engagement Awards
Halo Award, Finalist with FedEx, Best Employee Engagement/ Group Volunteering Initiative 2019
Engage for Good
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of products distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Operation Warm
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2019, we were able to distribute over 400,000 coats to 1,200 different communities and 800+ partners across North America.
Number of first-time donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Operation Warm
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of donors retained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Operation Warm
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Operation Warm
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of new donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Operation Warm
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Percent of students that agreed they are less likely to miss school on cold days because of their brand new coat.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Operation Warm
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
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?
Through serving millions of children in need across North America, we have seen that a brand new coat offers a child physical and emotional warmth, confidence to socialize and succeed, and hope of a brighter future. Operation Warm is dedicated to connecting people to essential resources in their communities. Over the last 20 years, Operation Warm has used the coat as a bridge for families in need to access everything from flu shots to new books.
We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic affects not only our own team, partners, and supporters but disproportionately affects the very communities we serve. We anticipate that low-income families will be the hardest hit by the effects of the pandemic on our economy – so the kids will need us more than ever this year. We remain steadfast in our mission to provide coats and access to essential services to children living in the poorest areas and, now, those who are impacted by the aftermath of this health crisis.
Operation Warm creates brand new, high-quality coats for children in need, offering a child both physical and emotional warmth. Our coats are made with durable materials and feature deep pockets and detachable hoods.
Our organization is proud to be distinguished by our continuing commitment to provide only new coats; this gift empowers children by sparking self confidence in a way that secondhand clothing cannot. Since Operation Warm coats are made in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes, the children who receive them have the added benefit of being able to try on and select the coat that suits their size and sense of style. All of our coats include an inner label that reads, “Made Especially for you!” with a place for the child’s name to be written. This lets the child know that the coat is theirs to keep.
Many families living in poverty struggle to provide necessities like food, housing, clothing, and child care. A brand new coat offers hope to both children and their parents, reminding them that there are those in their community that care about their well-being and future.
At a retail value of $50 each, our coats have the added benefit of helping alleviate a financial burden for low income families.
With a new Operation Warm coat, children will be able to maintain daily school attendance during winter weather, helping ensure they have access to critical classroom instruction time, warm heated classrooms, outdoor play with peers, and nutritious food.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
With 20 years of experience and expertise, Operation Warm is confident in our ability to connect with partners, manage inventory and delivery services, process orders, and provide excellent customer service to all of our constituents. Last year alone we were able to distribute over 400,000 coats to 1,066 different communities across North America. As COVID-19 continues to cause uncertainty, we would like to assure our current and prospective partners that Operation Warm is running at full speed and will remain vigilant in our mission to provide warmth, confidence, and hope through the gift of brand new coats to children living in need. As we have in response to numerous challenges over the past over 20 years, we are designing programs and building creative solutions to ensure that we are poised to help serve impoverished children in local communities, and anticipate being fully able to utilize grant funding during the 2020-21 year.
Coats are delivered to our warehouses and inventoried, so they can be shipped across the country, while we raise and steward the funds required to do it all. We also identify partners across the country who serve the children most in need of coats. These schools, shelters, and community-based organizations often carry out their own fundraising and manage their own coat giving events. Beginning in early fall, our community partners begin ordering their coats, which we ship them to distribute to the kids themselves. Coat shipments typically continue through the end of January until the year's inventory is depleted. In-kind and discounted transportation and warehousing helps reduce overhead costs.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Operation Warm consists of 20 paid employees, with 95% of all operating revenue going to program costs and only 5% to overhead. The vocational expertise of the team in social work, database management, logistics, development, public relations, and more ensures the non-profit is run with lean principles that ensure productivity, efficiency, and agility in service delivery. We also work with 30,000 volunteers throughout the year, from the individuals and groups who help with our distributions, to college students who intern at our office. Lastly, corporations volunteer their services with the transportation of our coats, helping reduce transportation and fuel costs.
2019 was Operation Warm's most impactful year to date. Over 400,000 children across North America experienced a gift of warmth, confidence, and hope through a brand new Operation Warm coat. Together with our donors, partners and supporters, we achieved several amazing milestones this past year. December 2018 marked our 20th anniversary of providing brand new coats to kids in need. By February 2019, we served the 3 millionth child in our history. And, we expanded our efforts to serve more children with our Warm Schools and A Warm Welcome to the Library programs.
The value of sourcing coats from Operation Warm includes:
Turnkey packaging: Operation Warm coats are packaged in boxes of 6 and 12 by size and gender. The coats are mixed color to easily provide children comparable options.
Central Warehousing: our national warehouse is in Columbus, Ohio. This will allow for fast shipping throughout Ohio.
Supply Chain Value: we are a non-profit, sourcing your coats from us helps us provide coats to other children.
CSR Audits: we audit all manufacturing partners for working conditions and sustainability.
Promotion: we provide marketing support to amplify awareness of your program.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2019/2020, our objective was to distribute 475,000 new winter coats to children living in North America. A total of 410,000 children in need received new coats this past winter thanks to our donors and partners. For these kids, picking out a new coat in a color they like was so special and magical. The gift of a new coat has given these children a sense of excitement to walk to school, and given struggling parents one less worry. Excited children lined up to pick out their new winter jacket, with smiles that far outweighed any words of gratitude. The experience of cloaking the students in their new coats and seeing the looks of pride and joy on their tiny faces warmed the hearts of faculty and volunteers too. The simple gift of a warm coat provided hope of a better future to their community.
Operation Warm has positively impacted children's education, health, and wellness, and brought communities together through joyful coat giving celebrations. While we know a coat alone can't solve poverty, we know that it reduces the financial burden for families, and provides much-needed support for transient and refugee populations. Operation Warm only succeeds because of our community of benefactors who help us provide more than a coat. Children are warm and proud because of our collaborative effort.
After Operation Warm’s coat programs end, all organizations that received coats are given an optional program survey which includes basic questions about how they carried out their coat distributions, how the coats enhanced their programs and services, and how the coat program impacted the children’s lives, among others. Our 2019/20 Beneficiary Survey of over 180 organizations reflects the following successes:
94% of respondents agreed that children or adults receiving coats experienced improved self-esteem.
97% agreed that gifting coats helped build trust with the children and adults they serve.
96% agreed that children with adequate winter clothing are less likely to miss school on cold days.
We also directly surveyed 2,200 children in twenty different states who had received an Operation Warm coat. Some of the results of that survey were as follows:
88% Agreed or Strongly Agreed: “Having the opportunity to choose a coat style that’s right for me helped me feel good about myself.”
92% Agreed or Strongly Agreed: “I feel happy because an adult cared about me enough to give me a brand new coat.”
73% Agreed or Strongly Agreed: “My new coat helps me feel like I fit in with my other classmates.”
79% Agreed or Strongly Agreed: “My brand new coat makes me feel confident.”
77% Agreed or Strongly Agreed: “My brand new coat makes me feel safe.”
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
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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.
Operation Warm Inc.
Board of directorsas of 10/19/2023
Mr. Richard Sanford
Operation Warm, Inc.
Term: 2014 -
Basil Anderson
Staples
Barry Abelson
Pepper Hamilton LLP
J.B. Doherty
MidCoast Capital
Gregory Pratt
AmeriGas Propane, L.P.
Willie F. Bailey
Fairfax Country Fire and Rescue
Kristen Hamer
Chicago Housing Authority
Susan Bailey
Corporate Solutions Consulting
Scott Beaumont
Lily Pulitzer
John Stockman
Intelligent Electronics
Tara Toocheck
Chester County Family Academy
Dominique DuMouchel
Glenmede Trust
Cindy Gage
C+C
Pina Starnino
FedEx Express Canada
Tim Wallace
iPipeline
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 ? 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
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
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data