Assistance League of St. Louis
Transforming Lives • Strengthening Community
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We are a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization that celebrates the power of the volunteer to evoke positive change in our community. We touch the lives of thousands of children and adults in St. Louis. Our programs are conceived and designed to empower, not enable; provide opportunity, not promote dependence. Our 494 volunteers are engaged in hands-on delivery of much needed goods and services directly to deserving individuals. Operation School Bell, launched in 1990, addresses a basic need identified in the St. Louis area; academic performance and school attendance of elementary age children was being adversely affected by lack of suitable clothing. Since its inception nearly 113,855 children have received new school clothing. Children in the program are from families identified by school personnel as unable to provide appropriate clothing themselves. Students are either in a free lunch or national school lunch program.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Operation School Bell
Operation School Bell: New school uniforms in school settings.
• Assistance League provided 3,105 elementary and middle school children from 44 area schools across 5 districts with uniforms, socks, underwear, coats, belts, gloves, hats, dental hygiene kits, an age-appropriate book and coats. They also support 29 schools with AL's closets.
Steps to Success
Steps to Success enables qualifying elementary students to be actively involved in physical activities by providing well-fit athletic shoes. Members delivered 3454 pairs of athletic shoes and socks to over 41 elementary schools.
Provide one pair of athletic type shoes to each identified child to achieve the following:
- Healthy feet and bodies
- A more positive attitude toward school and learning leading to:
a) Increased attendance
b) Improvement in student behavior
c) Self esteem
Project ROSE - Raise One's Self Esteem
Project Rose strives to help abused women and their children in secure shelters feel valued by providing personal, household and special occasion items on a monthly basis.
PROJECT ROSE: Delivers personal care gift bags for women and their children in shelters for victims of domestic abuse.
- Each month, volunteers deliver gift bags containing clothing, personal care and household items for women and their children in area shelters. In addition, Assault Survivor Kits containing clothing, underwear and hygiene kits are distributed to local emergency rooms for 150 victims of sexual assault. Assistance League contributed to the well-being of women and children in 5 Crisis Shelters.
- Awarded 36 College Scholarships.
Assistance League Outreach
Assistance League Outreach responds to unmet needs on a short-term basis by providing services or goods in a timely manner. Collaborating with 24 schools and 19 agencies, we supported the urgent needs of 2297 people in crisis. This year, we encountered a surge in bed requests and provided 183 beds, packaged with new pillow, sheets, and bedding.
Books From Friends
Books From Friends promotes literacy in the St. Louis community by providing books to aspiring readers.
They have provided books to 14,200 students in 36 schools and partnered with Urban League's Back to School Event fostering a love for learning.
Where we work
Awards
Make A Difference Day 2013
USA Today Weekend
Make A Difference Day 2014
USA Today Weekend
Make A Difference Day 2015
USA Today Weekend
Make A Difference Day 2016
USA Today Weekend
Affiliations & memberships
Better Business Bureau 2010
Better Business Bureau 2012
Better Business Bureau 2013
Better Business Bureau 2014
Better Business Bureau 2011
Better Business Bureau 2016
Better Business Bureau 2015
Better Business Bureau 2016
Better Business Bureau 2017
Better Business Bureau 2018
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Assistance League's Closet provides year-round availability of clothing to meet students immediate needs (Based on % that agreed or strongly agreed)
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
Added for St. Louis Public Schools MOU Metric. 2022 Input: 88% of staff members working at schools agreed closets provided availability of clothing (5,411 items) to meet student immediate needs.
Number of age appropriate books delivered to St. Louis children.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Books From Friends
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
For 2023-2024 we have given away over 6,000 books so far to students! They have held four book festivals and a very successful Barnes & Noble Books Fair.
Attendance in the classroom improved due to new school uniforms and athletic shoe (Based on % that agreed or strongly agreed)
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
2023-2024 - So far we have given out 2593 uniforms, 1101 coats, and 4791 shoes to students to 41 schools.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
Assistance League's philanthropic programs were designed and developed to meet unmet needs in the St. Louis community. The goals we are working to accomplish are as follows:
. Philanthropic program growth meets essential community needs based upon the results of internal and external assessments.
. Financial growth supports philanthropic services and organizational stability through a positive independent audit.
. A team management program provides leadership development resulting in an increase in members volunteering for leadership positions.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Philanthropic Programs:
. Refine the process for program evaluation.
. Adjust services and budget according to the results of external and internal philanthropic assessments.
Fund Development:
. Maintain platinum rating in GuideStar.
. Use a standardized evaluation process to assess fundraisers.
Memberhip/Education:
. Establish a leadership committee to make recommentdations for securing and training leaders.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Assistance League is an all volunteer nonprofit with 493 members. Our members have contributed over 63,200 volunteer hours to serve over 21,000 individuals in the St. Louis community during fiscal year 2022-2023. We have been in existence in the St. Louis area for over 35 years. As one of 120 chapters nationwide, our members put Transforming Lives • Strengthening Community in action through community-based programs. Assistance League of St. Louis typically adds about 40 new volunteers yearly and we enjoy a diverse membership with retired teachers, nurses, business professionals and technically skilled individuals. Every member of our organization is a volunteer. Our 100% volunteer membership works diligently to support our organization. Our external support includes our partnerships with over 40 school districts in the greater St. Louis area. These school districts include: St. Louis Public Schools, Jennings, Normandy, Fergusson/Florissant and Hazelwood. Other external support comes from our relationships with five (5)) emergency centers for abused women, 1 agency who cares for women who have suffered from drugs and sex trafficking, and an agency who cares for children who are abused, neglected, abandoned or homeless. We provide clothing for sexual assault victims.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Assistance League has always looked for unmet needs in the community.
Last year over 3,105 elementary and middle school children from 44 area schools received two sets of new uniforms, socks, underwear, coats, hats, gloves, dental hygiene kits and an age-appropriate book. In addition to an age-appropriate book we also delivered 26,675 new and gently used books to St. Louis area schools. After 35 years of service, we have provided more than 113,555 children with new school clothing.
In 2001, we began to provide athletic style shoes and socks to school children. Last year, our members visited 41 elementary schools provide athletic shoes and socks to 3,454 children.
As we continue our mission to serve others, we now cooperate with other area agencies to identify unmet needs.
Assistance League Outreach has enabled members to provide assistance to 4,604 lives. This program continues to grow each year as we explore the unmet needs in the greater St. Louis community.
Our newest program is Books From Friends. We held book fairs or parades at elementary schools providing 26,675 books to aspiring readers.
In partnership with St. Louis Community College , Assistance League of St. Louis Scholarship provided financial assistance to 36 individuals aspiring to improve their lives through higher education.
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 strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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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 engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response
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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
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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.
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.
Assistance League of St. Louis
Board of directorsas of 01/19/2024
Ms. Denise McKibben
Assistance League of St. Louis
Term: 2023 - 2024
Edna Merz
Asistance League of St. Louis
Carol Weber
Assistance League of St. Louis
Kathy Lordo
Assistance League of St. Louis
Mindy Hellmich
Assistance League of St. Louis
Jane Marschner
Assistance League of St. Louis
Cindy Williams
Assistance League of St. Louis
Sandy Thal
Assistance League of St. Louis
Dawn Thomas
Assistance League of St. Louis
Marilyn Panter
Assistance League of St. Louis
Sandy Johnson
Assistance League of St. Louis
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 ? 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? 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
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data