PLATINUM2023

Support Our Aging Religious

aka SOAR!   |   Silver Spring, MD   |  http://www.soar-usa.org

Mission

The mission of SOAR! is to: raise and provide funds for congregations to meet immediate needs of their retired and infirm members; educate the public about the serious retirement needs confronting elderly religious; and develop a national network of concerned individuals who wish to respond to this need.

Ruling year info

2014

President

Sister Kathleen Lunsmann IHM

Main address

8484 Georgia Avenue Suite 300

Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

52-1485481

NTEE code info

Roman Catholic (X22)

Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (X12)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

As the median age of consecrated Catholic religious in the United States today continues to rise, Sisters, Brothers and Priests are facing a retirement crisis. Many religious received only modest stipends or no compensation, and there are no provisions for retirement. The cost of health care has also dramatically increased.

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?

Grants to Congregations

SOAR! provides grants to congregations of Sisters, Brothers and Priests to care for their aging members.

Population(s) Served
Seniors
Catholics

Where we work

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

Total number of grants awarded

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

Seniors, Catholics

Related Program

Grants to Congregations

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

SOAR! grants assist religious communities in caring for their aging members. They are awarded for specific needs. These grants help ensure the safety and dignity of men and women religious.=

Total dollar amount of grants awarded

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

Seniors, Catholics

Related Program

Grants to Congregations

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

As teh average age of religious women and men increase, so are the needs.

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.

Support Our Aging Religious (SOAR!) seeks to ensure the safety, comfort and dignity of aging Catholic religious.

SOAR! raises awareness through mail and various media, and enlists the public's aid to help congregations meet the immediate needs of their retired and infirm members.

Our grants address practical needs such as renovations for accessibility, automatic doors, hospital beds and assistive devices.

SOAR! benefits from experienced, dedicated employees and board members.

We primarily seek donations through a robust direct mail program as well as special events, including fundraising dinners in New York and D.C.

As of 2016, SOAR! has distributed 1115 grants totaling more than $16 million to over 400 religious congregations.

In 2015 alone, SOAR! grants reached 3200 aging religious.

As a result of these grants, many more Catholic Sisters, Brothers and Priests are able to age in place and remain at home with their religious communities.

SOAR! continually seeks to adapt to changing needs. Recognizing that some religious men and women work well into their 70s, 80s and even 90s, we announced new grants in 2016 – “Founders' Grants" – to help recipients stay active in ministry. This increased the number of grants awarded that year to 73.

We are continuing our efforts to integrate our message across traditional and non-traditional channels, including our website, email and social media. In 2015, we launched a new website that is designed to be more engaging and easier to navigate; this new site is also optimized for a mobile or tablet screen size.

Moving forward, SOAR! is also working to establish a consistent source of funding through our monthly giving program, “Faithful Friends," that we can count on to support our mission.

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 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

  • 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 act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Support Our Aging Religious
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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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.

Support Our Aging Religious

Board of directors
as of 06/08/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Stephanie Marcantonio

Crowell & Moring


Board co-chair

Deborah Newhouse Dunham

Edward Morrissey

Pamela Brancaccio

David Kuzma

Stephanie Marcantonio

Mary Etta Mills

Molly Corbett

Elizabeth McFarlane

Sr. Margaret Kennedy

Sr. Mary Elizabeth Galt

John McCauley

Matthias Winter

MaryLynn Shanahan

Michael Coppotelli

James O'Neill

Lucas Swanepoel

Megan Rounsaville

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? 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/8/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/06/2022

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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • 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 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.