The Mustard Seed Of Central Florida, Inc.
Making a house a home
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Furniture Bank
We provide our clients with furniture and household necessities that may include a sofa, beds, a table, chairs, a dresser or shelves depending on the family size and based on availability. Lamps, linens dishes and flatware are provided when available. However, a family can only receive furniture from The Mustard Seed once in a lifetime except in special circumstances such as uninsured fire or flood.All furniture distributed is donated from the community. Our furniture trucks pick up donations every day from the tri-county areas. We are always in need of tables, chairs, dressers, linens, and dishes. All furniture is secured and allocated to clients. We never sell our furniture. Any of our Central Florida neighbors in need of furniture assistance through the furniture program must obtain a referral from an authorized Mustard Seed Referring Agency. We work with over 150 community partners who make home visits to asses our clients' needs. All clients must bring everything on the Client Checklist.
Clothing Bank
Twice a month families and individuals can shop at The Seed Boutique for 3 Tops, 3 Bottoms, 1 Pair of Shoes, 3 Undergarments (bras, underwear, socks or pajamas), 3 Misc. Accessories (belts, hats, scarves, jewelry), 1 Handbag or Backpack, dress or suit counts as 1 top and 1 bottom.
The price is $12 for adults, $7 for 65 and older, and $5 for children. Individuals do not need to obtain a referral for this service, but need to show proof of assistance such as free/reduced lunch, WIC, TANF, SNAP or Medicaid, etc. Clothing clients need to
complete a clothing application using a government issued ID, the ID of the other adults (18
and Up) and Birth Certificates for children.
Mattress Recycling Program
There are many benefits to the Mattress Recycling program. First, it enables a steady supply of usable mattresses for our clients. The unusable mattresses can be recycled down to their most basic parts. Mechanical systems break mattresses and box springs down separating out these parts to ready them for recycling.
Since 2011, The Mustard Seed Recycle program deconstructed over 149,000 mattresses saving over 3,400,000 cubic feet of landfill space, reducing dump expenses and protecting our environment. This recycling produced bales of toppers, foam, shredable metal and mulched wood generating income to fund the furniture and clothing program.
The Mustard Seed’s Mattress Recycling Program also has the potential to train workers, help them develop skills, and create new jobs, which would contribute to a growing green economy in Florida.
Where we work
Accreditations
Charity Navigator 2019
Awards
External reviews
Photos
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?
The Mustard Seed has been a crisis social service nonprofit agency for 31 years and the only furniture and clothing bank in Central Florida. We focus on helping families by giving a “hand up” not a "hand out" by providing the basic necessities that make a house a home. From beds, to tables, to linens, dishes and decor, we help rebuild lives so people can regain a sense of self worth and stability. Of the 2,326 clients assisted with furniture and clothing in 2018-2019, more than 1,313 were children. We serve returning veterans, domestic abuse victims, drug rehab recoveries, homeless transitions, fire and natural disaster victims, medical hardships and the economically disadvantaged referred by over 150 partnering agencies.
In 2018, we developed new corporate and foundation relationships, and we continue to steward new and existing support to diversify funding sources to The Mustard Seed. The Mustard Seed has a 20,000 square-foot facility to store items that can be distributed to other nonprofits in the area. We have collaborated with hundreds of agencies, nonprofits and churches that prequalify our clients, and we plan to host a referring agency symposium in the Spring to expand those relationships within the community. The Mustard Seed is a vital resource for the community and the nonprofit sector in Central Florida.
Our goals for 2019-2020 include renewing community awareness of our organization, cultivating relations with mission specific industries, and improving the referring agency instructional guide. These goals will allow our organization to help more clients to establish a stable home environment. The future vision for The Mustard Seed includes increasing the capacity of the recycling center. The revenue generated by deconstructing mattresses will help the agency become self-sufficient. This endeavor will include a capital campaign in the near future.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Executive Director is meeting with community leaders who are well connected and willing to promote The Mustard Seed's mission to search for investors to grow the operations. Our strategies to accomplish our goals are below:Establish alliances with companies for funds, furniture, products, goods, in-kind services, sponsorships and volunteersAssign the development staff person to maintain a database that can be sorted by company to determine the corporate involvement and impact on The Mustard Seed operation and clients servedCreate goals for the Board of Directors to take action in the area of fiscal management and fundraisingCultivate a Board contact list of a total of 100 individuals and 10 corporate contacts for peer-to-peer asksIdentify one (1) company per month for a "Junk In the Trunk" event. Board members to attend and/or ask for a corporate monetary contribution for the pickupThank monetary donors via phone and letters for their contributionObtain one (1) live auction item for special events per Board member Feature work force opportunities by hiring individuals with undesirable credentials and training them with transferable job skills to become participating members of societyExpand community awareness strategies to include promotion through all medias, events, networking and advertisingThe Mustard Seed purchased a new database, Donor Perfect, to analyze the existing donors and manage fundraising solutionsThe Development & Marketing Manager has prepared a Marketing Plan, Development Plan & Outreach Plan (See "Other Documents" and "Management" tabs). We have established and maintained three months of reserve funds. The Operations Committee is developing a Business Continuity Plan that will include Emergency and Disaster plans.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Mustard Seed is led by a visionary Executive Director with keen management and business knowledge. The leadership team (Office Manager, Marketing Manager, and Operations Manager) are experts in their field. Similarly, our Board of Directors are determined and passionate about furthering the mission of The Mustard Seed. Their executive leadership and connections within the community positions The Mustard Seed for positive growth to serve more families. The Mustard Seed is grateful for the 4,000 volunteers that provide us with a sustainable labor force. Our volunteers are managed by a competent impassioned Community Engagement Manager who actively recruits, trains, and recognizes the work and efforts of our volunteers. Volunteers come from five primary categories: individuals, groups from colleges and universities, groups from service/religious clubs, high school groups, and corporations.The newly reassigned referral coordinator works closely with the referring agencies. By improving the instructional guide for the 150 community agencies, the outside social workers will be better informed how to conduct a home visit to determine the needs of the client. Improving communications with the referring agencies facilitate stronger collaborations and partnerships making clients aware of our service to them. Staff members are dedicated, compassionate professionals who seek to serve families and individuals who are rebuilding their lives. The staff's passion, professionalism, and positivity have been noted with 100% of customer survey responses stating that they are very satisfied with both the office and furniture delivery's performance. It is important to note that all the furniture that we provide to families and individuals are generously donated from our community including individuals and corporations. We own 3 large delivery trucks that pick-up donated furniture and clothing every day from Orange, Seminole, and Osceola Counties. This avenue for in-kind contributions builds the foundation for future financial support.Finally, we own a 20,000 square-foot facility that is sufficiently equipped to store furniture and clothing, as well as house our recycling program.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Mustard Seed is proud of the progress we have made to help families and individuals rebuild their lives with dignity and hope while being environmentally responsible to our community. In one sense, the expected outcome of The Mustard Seed’s services is simply that families, who were struggling to establish a home in the aftermath of abuse, disaster, or personal tragedy, now have some of the things they need to make an empty space into a functional home. Their kitchen is stocked with dishes, a few pots and pans, and a central location for the family to gather and eat at. Children have a clean bed to sleep in and a desk at which to do homework. They now have a sofa to relax on at the end of the working day. The children are also no longer embarrassed to bring their friends home to play. Since 2011, The Mustard Seed Recycle program deconstructed over 149,000 mattresses saving nearly 3.4 million cubic feet of landfill space, reducing dump expenses and protecting our environment. The recycling program produced bales of toppers, foam, shredded metal and mulched wood generating income to fund the furniture and clothing program. In 2015, we purchased a 12-passenger van so we could pick up volunteers at the Dismiss Charities, Bridges and A.N.C.H.O.R programs. In 2017, we purchased two new box trucks so now we have a total of three box trucks to make deliveries and pick up donations. In addition, we have increased our staff both in-house, as well as through cooperation with the Workforce of Central Florida Re-employment Connection and Public Allies program.
Our in-kind donors have increased significantly because of our efforts to solicit for services needed to maintain operations. In past, our furniture donors had to wait several weeks before we could schedule their furniture pickup. With the addition of another box truck, we are able to serve more families a week because of the influx of furniture collected from the community. The amount of furniture dictates the number of clients served.
Most importantly, The Mustard Seed believes that there is another, more subtle outcome. For families who have nothing, the obstacles to acquiring the needs of life – from kitchen tools to living room furniture to a conviction of one’s worth – can be overwhelming. The assistance provided by The Mustard Seed truly does open a door to the future, a future less bleak than it would otherwise be. The Mustard Seed’s ultimate goal is to help individuals and families in crisis to achieve self-sufficiency and become contributing members of the community.
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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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.
The Mustard Seed Of Central Florida, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 11/07/2019
Mr. Wil Price
Central Florida Fair
Term: 2015 - 2021
Mr. Wil Price
Central Florida Fair
Term: 2015 - 2018
William Price
Central Florida Fair
Gary Rall
Wyndham Vacation Ownership
Maria Martinez
Rollins College
Michael Brodsky
Ameriprise
Dana Wilkin
Retired
Michael Sanguine
Sissines Business
Bruce Ambrose
Retired
Jim Schreiber
IBM
Ramces Rouzard Rouzard
Motivational Speaker
Ana Stuppy
Medtronics
Robert Lowe
JBT Corp
Ken Marks
Hearst Communications
Ken Ruth
CPA
Kristen Stone
Stephanie Grant