BRONZE2023

Power of Flowers Project

Sharing Hope and Happiness

Tewksbury, MA   |  https://pofproject.org/

Mission

Power of Flowers Project shares hope and happiness by providing a kind connection to seniors and veterans in care communities. Our dedicated volunteers re-purpose donated flowers into bouquets and deliver these gifts to provide an unexpected moment of joy and improve the well-being of a vulnerable population.

Ruling year info

2013

Executive Director

Michelle Silveira

Main address

365 East Street PO Box 294

Tewksbury, MA 01876 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

46-1082544

NTEE code info

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (W01)

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (W01)

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, 2020 and 2019.
Register now

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Loneliness and isolation severely impact the overall physical and mental health of the elderly population . Research supported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has shown that depression among the elderly is recognized as a significant public health concern . The National Insititute on Aging has endorsed research that suggests social well-being, defined as having good mental health, high life satisfaction, and a sense of meaning or purpose, may reduce impacts of physical decline associated with old age such as Alzheimer’s Disease, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer. Those living in community settings who participate in social activities and have regular interactions, or connections, with others have been shown to have less cognitive decline than those who are less engaged.

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?

Individual Bouquet Delivery

Donated flowers are rescued and re-purposed into individual bouquets. Our 190+ active volunteers participating six days each week in the many tasks required to send 400 bouquets into the world of lonely seniors and veterans. We have partnered with 175 floral donor locations (includes florals from weddings, graduations, corporate events, memorial services, and retailers) and deliver our creations to more than 290 Care Communities (includes Assisted Living Facilities, Elder Services Agencies, and Veterans Services) in the Merrimack Valley.

Population(s) Served
Seniors
Veterans

The Power of Flowers Project offers approximately seven flower therapy sessions per month where a team of volunteers conduct workshops at care communities. We supply all florals and supplies and assist residents in creating their own bouquets. Residents look forward to these workshops and enjoy an hour of focused attention and conversation with our volunteers.

Population(s) Served
Seniors
Veterans

We offer Kindness Connections for corporate engagement by sponsoring on-site bouquet production workshops where employees make bouquets, select a care community, and help deliver the bouquets. This
enables businesses and their employees to give back to the community.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

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 elders and veterans served per year

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

Older adults

Related Program

Individual Bouquet Delivery

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Note: in 2020 pandemic restrictions forced our temporary closure from March 16, 2020 until July 1, 2020. This accounts for the lower number of bouquet recipients in 2020.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

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.

Our bouquets lead to a valuable connection; one that may be lost for someone living alone or with a disease. In fact, a study by Rutgers University found that flowers have an immediate and long-lasting impact on happiness, behavior, and memory for both men and women. Research has also found that hospital patients in rooms with flowers needed less postoperative pain medication, had lower systolic blood pressure and pulse rates, and had a more positive psychological state than patients in rooms without flowers .

Our work helps to improve well-being for a forgotten population that includes those who have devoted their lives to caring for others.

Our strategy is as follows:
• Be sustainable by increasing our donor base
• Continue our recycling efforts by working with the floral industry to reprocess floral containers
• Expanding our outreach efforts to Seniors and Veterans in our geographical locations by continuing to deliver our signature bouquets to
400+ people living in care communities
• Increase monthly Flower Therapy workshops to care community locations in our area
• Increase our Kindness Connection workshops to businesses that have a large employee base

Over the past ten years, our outreach has grown exponentially. Today, our 130+ active volunteers who have logged over 10,000 hours annually, participate six days each week in the many tasks required to send 400 bouquets weekly into the world of lonely seniors. We have partnered with numerous floral donor locations (includes florals from weddings, graduations, corporate events, memorial services, and retailers) and deliver our creations at least three times per year to more than 75 Care Communities (includes Assisted Living Facilities, Elder Services Agencies, and Veterans Services) in the Merrimack Valley.

The Power of Flowers Project also offers approximately 5 flower therapy sessions per month where a team of volunteers conduct workshops at care communities. We supply all florals and supplies and assist residents in creating their own bouquets. Residents look forward to these workshops and enjoy an hour of focused attention and conversation with our volunteers. At the conclusion of a recent session, a frail gentleman, reluctant at first to join in, showed off his creation and said, “I am so proud of myself!”

Additionally, our organization is proud to offer opportunities for corporate engagement by sponsoring on-site bouquet production workshops where employees make bouquets, select a care community, and help deliver the bouquets.

Tracking our production and bouquet deliveries, incoming flowers and Flower Therapy workshops helps us determine our viability. As we review the numbers through current year, we see increases in each category. Based on records dating back to 2009, we have delivered 100,000 free bouquets to date. Our 130 active volunteers have contributed more than 10,000 hours annually in the many tasks required to send 400 bouquets weekly. We have recycled 3,000 floral containers back into the floral industry each year.

Our work requires detailed record keeping and we have recently upgraded our technology infrastructure to support fundraising initiatives, document our financial data, track our volunteers, incoming flower donations, and outgoing bouquet production.

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.
  • 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 inform the development of new programs/projects, 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 take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Power of Flowers Project
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.

Power of Flowers Project

Board of directors
as of 08/16/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Andrea Jackson

Lowell General Hospital

Term: 2023 - 2021


Board co-chair

Patrice Dolan

Dolan Funeral Home

Term: 2021 - 2023

Andrea Jackson

Lowell General Hospital

Julie Hickey

James L. Hickey, CPA and PC

Sue_Ellen Kazanjian

Retired Dental Hygienist.

Kathleen Kanaan

Co-Owner-Designs by Don Florist

Donna McMahon

The Director of The SkillsUSA Championships

Dr. Courtney L'Hussier

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Ritu Juneja

Licensed Social Worker

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? Not applicable
  • 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? Not applicable

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/23/2023

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

Leadership

No data

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 09/16/2021

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 employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • 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.