Project BEE
Providing equity and anti-poverty services to rural communities in North Dakota.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Through our anti-poverty programming, we wish to positively impact Western North Dakota. We offer supportive programs for at-risk families and individuals, such as a diaper supplement and basic needs pantry. This allows folks to make their income stretch further to meet their own goals. While our primary program is our homeless shelter, long-term, we wish to flip things. If we can prevent homelessness, by expanding our prevention and support programs, we would save a ton of money. Homeless clients often have barriers, like evictions on their record, and are a challenge. If possible, we want to keep people in their homes and find ways to support them.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Emergency Shelter
Currently, the Emergency Shelter can serve 21-28 adults/their children (if any) at any given time, and is frequently full. We serve people from all over North Dakota, as we are the only year-round, housing-first shelter outside of the Fargo/Grand Forks area.
Dakota Diaper Pantry
The Dakota Diaper Pantry, a Project BEE program, works to eliminate diaper need in Western North Dakota. By bridging the gap for families, we promote dignity and help to empower them to pursue their ambitions.
Fresh Start Shower Program
This service has the potential to transform the lives of many in a short period of time. One of the main barriers to employment for the homeless population is access to something we all take for granted, the chance to literally get clean. This "fresh start" program can empower community members (of all ages and genders) who are unable or unwilling to stay in the shelter.
Career Closet/Basic Needs Pantry
Our community closet proudly helps community members acquire career clothing, personal care items, and household necessities at no cost to them.
Winter Warming Center
The Project BEE Winter Warming Center’s mission is to work with the greater Minot community to better serve those experiencing homelessness with dignity and respect by providing a safe and warm place for homeless adults 18 years and older and any of their potential children (no unaccompanied minors) to get in and out of the cold during the winter months from October 1 until April 30. The Warming Center is located downtown at 205 3rd Ave. SE Minot, ND, 58701. Guests are able to take a shower and wash their clothes.
Hours for the center are from 7:00 pm until 8:00 am, Monday through Sunday, including holidays. The center offers open intake from 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm each night. After 8:00 pm the police, hospitals, and other agencies can refer guests. The center does allow those individuals who are currently suffering from mental health and/or addictions to enter the facility as long as they are acting in a calm and respectful manner.
Rental Assistance
The purpose of this program is to help prevent homelessness. The program provides emergency assistance to an individual or family facing eviction or transitioning from our Emergency Shelter program into permanent housing.
The rental assistance is a one-time payment made directly to the landlord for people who cannot pay their rent due to a personal emergency or a situation beyond their control.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of bed nights (nights spent in shelter)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Homeless people, Women and girls
Related Program
Emergency Shelter
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
In 2020, we went from 28 beds in our shelter to limited budget vouchers to combat COVID19.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Career Closet/Basic Needs Pantry
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of families assisted with rent or mortgage to avoid eviction
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Rental Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We never officially kept track/considered this a program. Now, in 2021, homeless prevention is more critical than ever.
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?
It is our desire to evolve with the changing needs of the communities we serve and to be a strong advocate for anti-poverty programs within the North Dakota government to ensure that rural community needs are met.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have worked hard to change our internal culture starting with our board. We have a strong board, ready to support the staff. We have an experienced and educated staff, with lived experience, that is ready to help folks meet their goals no matter the challenge.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Currently, we have a case management team with staff members with lived experience, formal education, case management experience, and a combination of the above.
We invested in fundraising and administrative staff so that our funding can keep up with program needs, and to make sure we are in compliance with certifications, grants, audits, and more.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2021, we were awarded a $5.8 million, federally funded family shelter project due to our strong leadership.
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 identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups
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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 take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, 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 act on the feedback we receive
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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, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
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
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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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.
Project BEE
Board of directorsas of 01/11/2023
Tarina Crook
United States Air Force
Term: 2021 - 2024
Becky Bertsch
Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate
Robbie Keelan
Account Executive
Corbin Dickerson
United States Air Force
Erica Riordan
Trinity Health
Rebecca Keller
Edward Jones
Courtney Gorze
State of ND
Olga Stanford
US Air Force
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
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/11/2023GuideStar 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
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- 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 measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- 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.