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Assistance League® of Kansas City

Together...making our community better

Gladstone, MO   |  www.alkc.org

Mission

Assistance League of Kansas City is a not for profit 501(c)(3) all- volunteer organization. Established in 1983, ALKC puts caring and commitment into action through community-based philanthropic programs.  Assistance League of Kansas City, a chapter of National Assistance League, fulfills specific unmet needs of children and adults in the Kansas City area through philanthropic programs developed, funded and operated by dedicated volunteers and community partners. Assistance League volunteers transform the lives of children and adults through community programs.

Ruling year info

1984

President

Dr. Barbara Condra

President-Elect

Ms. Linda Craigie

Main address

6101 N Chestnut

Gladstone, MO 64119 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

43-1307672

NTEE code info

Human Service Organizations (P20)

Family Services (P40)

Senior Centers/Services (P81)

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?

Operation School Bell®

The Operation School Bell (OSB) is the only organization in the Kansas City area that provides new clothing to at risk elementary students who get to shop with a volunteer one on one at our facility, that provides school uniforms to low income charter school students and gives Target vouchers to in-need middle school and select high school students for clothing and other necessities. We are unique also in being known for our flexibility, ingenuity, and compassion. According to one school counselor, “Your members are so creative and dedicated to our children. This year was far from ideal and yet, you still managed to find new ways to support our schools.” Even though we could not meet personally with students in 2020-2021, 9,455 students received at least one item of clothing or shoes through their school social worker or counselor.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Operation Hug provides new teddy bears to comfort children in crisis situations and to seniors in memory care situations. In 2020-2021, Assistance League of Kansas City prepared and distributed 2,160 teddy bears to area emergency personnel to comfort children involved in accidents or other traumatic situations. We deliver teddy bears to hospitals (Liberty, North Kansas City, Children's Mercy Northland, St. Luke's - North, South and the Plaza locations, and Truman Hospital), Briarcliff Surgery Center, the Liberty Surgical Center, and Synergy Services.  Since beginning this program in 1989, over 92,180 teddy bears have provided comfort to children in crisis and vulnerable seniors.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Seniors

I'm in Charge is a school curriculum which includes an on-line video, a facilitator's manual and a workbook for elementary-age students focusing on safety in emergency and non-emergency situations when a child is alone at home or on their own away from home. In the 2020-2021 school year, 6,728 students in our community benefited from this program. The following topics are covered by engaging students in discussion and role-play situations; using the telephone, answering the door, inappropriate touching, stranger danger, fire safety, guns, first-aid, Internet safety, and emergency weather situations. Since the I'm In Charge program began in 1984, over 150,900 elementary students have received personal safety information and training through this program.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

This program provides clothing and personal care items for sexual assault victims. In 2020-2021 our kits helped 720 assault victims. The kits are distributed by MOCSA (Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault) when victims present at area hospitals.  The program provides clothing and other items to help assault victims, whose garments are retained by police for evidence, to leave the hospital comfortably and with dignity. Each kit contains pants, a shirt, underwear, hygiene items and the book "Recovering from Rape" by Dr. Linda Ledrey.  The volunteer coordinator of MOCSA made this comment, "This program is an invaluable resource to survivors.  Not only does it provide them with essentials such as clothing, toiletries, and information, but it also helps to restore a sense of dignity and control after the assault.  This is an important start to the healing process..."

Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Men and boys

Operation Child In Need helps any child in our community whose family is unable to provide the things for their educational, physical or emotional development. This program assists foster children, foster families, wards of the court and other children in need.  It provides emergency items and services like eye exams and glasses, psychiatric services, and bike helmets. In 2020-2021, 7,906 children were assisted through Operation Child in Need. Requests for assistance are made to Assistance League of Kansas City through school counselors and social workers.
 

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

The Senior Outreach Service program provides friendship and support to residents of four Northland senior care centers and to homebound seniors.  Our volunteers are matched as senior pals to residents of the senior care facilities to provide support through personal visits and mailing greeting cards on holidays and birthdays.  Entertaining and educational programming as well as magazine subscriptions, puzzle books, CD's and bingo cards, are also provided to help enhance the lives of residents.  Over 1,987 senior residents were served during 2020-2021 through this program.  An activity director from one of the senior care centers we serve made this comment, "You and your friends at the Assistance League of Kansas City have been wonderful during the holiday season about reaching out to our residents..thanks again for all your generosity and wonderful donations..."
 

Population(s) Served
Seniors

Operation Celebration is a philanthropic program administered by the Assisteens auxiliary of Assistance League of Kansas City focusing on meeting the needs of children who have been removed from their home, and placed in a temporary foster care facility.  Assisteens provide this program to celebrate birthdays of children 2 years through 18 years of age who have been removed from their homes and are staying in temporary housing operated by Synergy Services.  Each birthday/celebration bag contains a cake mix, frosting, decorations, paper products and an age appropriate gift. During 2020-2021, 1,456 children and teens received a birthday or celebration bag. 

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

The Outreach Program allows Assistance League of Kansas City volunteers the opportunity to respond to various needs in our community on a seasonal or short term basis.  Clothing has been provided to tornado and fire victims through this program.  
During 2020-2021, 230 books were provided to Penn Valley Community College for the Common Read Program.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Assistance League of Kansas City (ALKC) offers scholarships to academically promising high school seniors, single parents, and reentry students who need financial assistance to attend a college, university, or technical school/program. Fourteen students received scholarships in 2020-2021 ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Young adults

Where we work

Awards

Affiliations & memberships

Affiliate/Chapter of National Organization (i.e. Girl Scouts of the USA, American Red Cross, etc.) - Affiliate/chapter 1986

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

Observed change in classroom behavior.

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

Children and youth

Related Program

Operation School Bell®

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

82% of school counselors indicated that students experienced a positive or significant change in classroom behavior following participation in the Operation School Bell program.

Observed change in student confidence.

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

Children and youth

Related Program

Operation School Bell®

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

98% of school counselors indicated students experienced a positive or significant change in student confidence after participation in the Operation School Bell program.

Observed change in level of engagement with peers and/or school activities.

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

Children and youth

Related Program

Operation School Bell®

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

83% of school counselors indicated that students experienced positive or significant change in level of engagement with peers and/or school activities following participation in the program.

Provided a needed service to participating students and families

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

Children and youth

Related Program

Operation School Bell®

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

95% of school staff were satisfied or very satisfied with Assistance League of Kansas City, Operation School Bell, and I'm in Charge.

Students became more aware of their own safety.

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

Children and youth

Related Program

I'm in Charge

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

98% of school counselors stated that students became more of their safety when home alone or on their own away from home after participation in the I'm In Charge program.

number of childern and adults served

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

Children and youth, Adults

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

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.

Assistance League of Kansas City provides philanthropic service to children, students, families and seniors in the Greater Kansas City community through diverse programs funded, managed and operated by committed volunteers and community partners. Our vision is to make our community better through the power of volunteerism.

Assistance League of Kansas City has three strategic goals and has identified action steps to support each goal. These goals assist the organization in moving closer to our vision, "Together...making our community better". The goals are: 1. Increase recognition of Assistance League of Kansas City throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area as a leading philanthropic organization. 2. Increase current membership and be more inclusive of diverse populations. 3. Double income from resources other than THE ReSALE SHOP through innovative activities to increase financial stability.

In spite of the pandemic, ALKC’s 373 members volunteered 54,150 hours in 2020-21 to administer and fund our nine philanthropic programs. We are one of the few non-profit volunteer organizations that has increased membership over the last decade. Our members are tremendously skilled and passionate about ALKC's mission.
The primary source of revenue for our organization, THE ReSALE SHOP (a thrift store), was closed for 10 weeks and open now on a limited basis. Even so, we found alternative sources of revenue to help over 30,000 families and individuals in the greater Kansas City area.

We developed innovative (to us) fund-raising techniques and mechanisms for administering our philanthropies in the challenging circumstances of 2020-2021. All together Assistance League of Kansas City helped over 30,658 vulnerable Kansas City adults and children in FY 2020-2021.

During 2020-2021, the primary source of our revenue, THE ReSALE SHOP was closed for 10 weeks and continues to be open only four days a week. As a result we experienced a drastic reduction in funds at the very time community need increased. In addition our main philanthropic program which provides new clothing for students had to be completely restructured due to school closures. Our members responded by aggressively pursuing new funding sources, initiating a virtual auction, and working closely with school staff to find ways to provide children in need with shoes and other clothing items. Due to these efforts, over-all revenue was down only three percent in 2020-21 from the previous year and we were able to provide at least one item of clothing or shoes to 9,455 students. Additionally, 7,906 children in need were provided emergency services or supplies like eye exams. All together over 30,000 vulnerable children and adults were helped.
Reliance on revenue from our thrift store has provided us with stable funding for our philanthropies, but the lockdown demonstrated the need to develop alternative sources of revenue. In 2022 in conjunction with 10 other Assistance League chapters around the country, we plan to open an on-line thrift store. We believe the on line shop as well as the virtual auction, developing corporate sponsorships and seeking new sources of grant funding will enhance our financial stability. We will also continue the on line auction and aggressively developing foundation, business, and individual donor sources of revenue.
We will enhance efforts to recruit a more diverse group of members. We have developed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement which will be incorporated into the action steps of our new five year strategic plan. Among the ideas we intend to implement are collaborating with the Kansas City Public Schools and organizations with more diverse membership.
We will expand recognition of ALKC throughout the metropolitan area through an active social media presence, cameo features on local television news programs, membership in area Chambers of Commerce, ads in local magazines, and other promotional strategies.


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?

    Children in emergency situations; elementary, middle, and high school students; sexual assault survivors; homebound seniors and those in assisted care facilities; and adults returning to post secondary education.

  • 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 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 have modified the I'm in Charge program so that the material is available on-line instead of through DVDs and workbooks. We changed the kind of personal care items provided through Operation School Bell to accommodate the needs of a variety of racial and ethnic groups. We increased the percentage of graphic novels to the books given to students through Operation School Bell. We added food coupons to the emergency items made available through Operation Child in Need. We provided a food and paper product basket to home-bound seniors.

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

    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 the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

Assistance League® of Kansas City
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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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  • 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.

Assistance League® of Kansas City

Board of directors
as of 08/20/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Dr. Barbara Condra

Community Volunteer

Term: 2020 - 2022


Board co-chair

Ms. Linda Craigie

Community Volunteer

Term: 2021 - 2022

Suzanne W Wiggins

Community Volunteer

JoAnn Higgins

Community Volunteer

Debbie Sobba

Community Volunteer

Barbara Condra

Community Volunteer

Janet Geary

Community Volunteer

Terry Besser

Community Volunteer

Nancy Dumoff

Community Volunteer

Debra Renfro

Community Volunteer

Kathleen O'Connor

Community Volunteer

Sonya Brown

Community Volunteer

Jan Keirsey

Community Volunteer

Becky Rasdall

Community Volunteer

Suzanne Locke

Community Volunteer

Linda Craigie

Community Volunteer

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 ? 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

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

No data

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

No data

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/25/2021

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 analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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 help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • 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.