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?
Dental Center
The Manos de Cristo Dental Center is a low-cost, not-for-profit facility in Austin that provides high-quality dental services for children, adults, and seniors. The Dental Center offers same-day treatment and a range of restorative and preventative care. The Dental Center provides services to under and un-insured individuals and families. Our goals is to become a dental home to our patients and help them maintain good oral health.
Basic Needs Program
The food pantry and clothes closet provide immediate assistance to individuals and families in crisis. Emergency food relief offers one-week of groceries to families who struggle to pay their bills and provide meals.
Adult Education Program
Manos de Cristo offers English as a Second Language (ESL), Computer Literacy, Spanish Literacy, Spanish GED and Citizenship classes to help improve work, communication, and life skills. Our students have been able to pass citizenship exams, communicate online, speak with their children in English, and receive primary and secondary education in Spanish.
Back-to-School Program
The Manos de Cristo Back-to-School program provides a new backpack, two sets of clothing, socks and underwear, and grade appropriate school supplies to over 2,000 children (pre-K through 5th grades) each year.
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Where we work
External reviews

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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of backpacks filled with school supplies distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Back-to-School Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Back-to-School is a volunteer driven event. We have been unable to host an in-person event for the past two years because of unvaccinated children. Our senior volunteers are too vulnerable.
Number of clients receiving the grocery shopping services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Basic Needs Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Pounds of produce distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Basic Needs Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
The amount of donated produce fluctuates with availability and weather conditions.
Number of adult learners enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Adult Education Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Adult education classes shifted from in-person to on-line classes in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.
Number of patient visits
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Dental Center
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Pre-pandemic numbers were not sustained in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID restrictions. Our offices remained open to see emergency dental patients and keep them out of hospital emergency rooms.
Number of dental procedures performed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Dental Center
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
As individuals feel more comfortable coming back into the Dental Center, we are seeing patients who have been putting off treatment during the pandemic.
Number of dental patients screened
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Dental Center
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
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?
Individuals and families living in poverty in Central Texas experience many challenges: food insecurity, the threat of homelessness, inadequate access to physical and mental health care, and lack of academic achievement are only a few of the significant challenges faced by our neighbors. In Travis County, 13% of residents are low-income (below 200% of federal poverty level), according the Community Action Network's (CAN) annual Community Dashboard report. Further, CAN reports that “people with lower incomes are: less likely to be kindergarten ready, less likely to be college-ready, more likely to smoke, more likely to be obese, less likely to have health insurance, more likely to report poor mental health, and less likely to find housing that they can afford.
The mission of Manos de Cristo is to empower low-income individuals with a loving hand of assistance and without regard to age, gender, race, or religious preference. This mission is encompassed in all that we do each day. In practice, Manos de Cristo promotes dignity and self-reliance by providing essential low-cost, high-quality oral health care, adult educational development, and meeting basic needs with food and clothing to avert crises such as homelessness, hunger, lack of opportunity and poor health.
Manos de Cristo serves approximately 30,000 adults and children each year who are working to achieve or maintain self-sufficiency. Manos de Cristo was founded in 1988 to respond to the educational, health and basic needs of underserved adults and children in East Austin, primarily of Hispanic descent. Our clients are the “working poor," who often work two or more part-time jobs in order to provide for themselves and their families. They barely meet monthly household expenses, and even a slight deviation in income can push them to the brink of homelessness. Yet, in this population, we see pride, determination and a hope for a brighter future. Through its services, Manos becomes a partner with the family, drawing upon their determination and sharing in their hope, to help them achieve their goals.
Each year, demand for assistance pushes Manos to do more to help. With the increase in population and poverty rates in Central Texas over the past two years, requests for assistance continue to trend upward. Manos de Cristo's long-term success will be marked by its ability to remain a sustainable part of the social service safety-net infrastructure in our community with the ability to understand and address the needs of the working poor.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Manos continuously evaluates the needs in the community and the agency's programming, infrastructure, and business model in order to maintain and grow a sustainable organization that meets the needs of families in poverty. Manos' Board of Directors and leadership team responds by providing: strong leadership, thoughtful planning, and effective use of resources through collaboration, strategic development efforts, and the highest quality of services to clients.
The Strategic Plan for Manos de Cristo for FY 2017-2020 contained the following four strategic goals that drove delivery of services, organizational stability, and internal policies:
Goal 1: Deepen services and expand reach of programs to enrich the lives of those we serve.
Goal 2: Expand the visibility of our organization/mission to improve awareness of our ability to serve those who need our services.
Goal 3: Fortify our internal procedures and operations to ensure a robust infrastructure to support our work and our ability to grow services.
Goal 4: Enhance financial security and stability to support our work in a sustainable way and ensure that we will be able to continue this important work.
The goals in the strategic plan are accomplished through programmatic implementation, capacity/infrastructure, and financial sustainability objectives. As all personnel and programming emanate now from one location, Manos is benefitting from a higher degree of staff and program collaboration and integration. Our clients benefit from oral health services, workforce and education development, and basic needs crisis assistance in one central location.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Manos de Cristo has a 31-year history of assisting underserved persons in a culturally appropriate, effective and efficient way. We understand their challenges and barriers and offer a hand-up to support their access and success.
The agency's operating budget for fiscal year 2019 is $3,081,540. Approximately 84 cents of every dollar goes to direct services for clients. The agency leverages resources and support from other social services agencies and clinics, individuals, businesses, churches and volunteers to stretch its operating budget. The agency relies on support from the community, along with modest patient fees. A diverse 18 member Board of Directors from an array of professional backgrounds, education and expertise governs the agency. All Board members financially support the agency and many volunteer in direct service to clients.
Manos' services are very accessible to the working poor population we serve, and our highly qualified and committed staff – our core asset – work tirelessly to serve our clientele. Most personnel are bilingual (English-Spanish). Julie Ballesteros lead the agency, a former educator who understands the challenges and needs of working poor families. The Dental Center staff includes a team of 20 FTE oral health practitioners, assistants and supportive staff members, each of whom is very dedicated to improving the health of each patient they treat. The Education Program team consists of 3 FTE staff including an Education Coordinator, Assistant Education Coordinator, an Intake Specialist, and a corps of dedicated, trained volunteers. Staff also includes a full-time Basic Needs Director.
Manos employs a full-time Development Director to initiate, guide and grow fund development activities, supported by three FTE experienced development staff. A Finance Director in collaboration with the Finance & Audit Committee of the Board manages the agency's finances. This Committee meets every other month to review finances.
In 2019, 203 dental professionals provided 1,046 volunteer service hours for our clients. A dedicated Dental Committee, comprised of five dentists and one lawyer, meet every other month to review the Dental Centers performance and best practices. This committee helps to ensure that the Dental Center is functioning efficiently. Volunteers in the Computer Literacy Classes, English as a Second Language, Spanish Literacy, and Citizenship Classes make the up the majority of teaching staff. Further, in 2019, 1,079 volunteers assisted the agency in some significant way, and recruiting, training and retaining volunteers is a significant ongoing effort.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As the number of low-income individuals and families in Central Texas continue to grow in number, our work continues. The Dental Center operated near full capacity during 2019, providing more than 18,604 appointments for oral health care and education.
The Dental Center's goal is to become a dental home for many of our patients. As a practical matter, however, it is imperative that Manos remain flexible to the urgent needs of emergency patients who line up early each day waiting for oral treatment, as we are one of very few local dental centers that sees emergency patients the same day.
The agency has also successfully secured partnerships that benefit the clients we serve. For instance, we have broadened and deepened referral sources for dental procedures that cannot be performed at our Dental Center so that patients will receive the help they need at a cost they can afford. A stronger partnership with People's Community Clinic will offer our clients the opportunity to meet their medical and oral health needs at our agencies.
Increasing visibility, securing new donors, and funding is another area in which modest progress has been made. The agency will secure a dedicated marketing and communications person who makes sure the website is current, that social media is employed where practical, and that ongoing outreach and public relations efforts with potential clients, the media and other publics are developed and cultivated. An experienced Director of Development leads and guides strategic fundraising efforts to attract and retain support from foundations, corporations, businesses and generous individuals. Growing a major gifts effort is an ongoing goal necessary for fund diversification.
The agency has been successful in expanding the composition of its Board, which was a strategic objective. The agency sought to recruit members from an array of professional backgrounds, skills, and abilities.
Manos de Cristo has a strong foundation and is positioning itself for sustainability into the future. The agency's leadership will continue to seek opportunities for growth in program capacity, for strengthening referral networks, and in professionalism in the way we conduct business.
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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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Manos de Cristo serves whoever comes to our doors in need of assistance. In 2021, our ethnicity demographics: African American 4.9% Asian 2.0% Caucasian 12.0% Hispanic 78.0% Middle Eastern 2.0% Native American .1% Other/Not Reported 1.0%
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.),
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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 strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Our Dental Center added Saturday hours to accommodate patients unable to be seen Monday through Friday.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
People feel comfortable coming to our offices for treatment, adult education and food assistance because they know we are here to help and serve them.
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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,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
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
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- 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.
MANOS DE CRISTO INC
Board of directorsas of 07/27/2022
Mr. Glenn Dukes
Mr. Gary McIntosh
Glenn Dukes
Synopsis Professional Services
Gary McIntosh
Paul Miller
Keystone Bank
Neal Shah
Michael Smith
Heather Bobb
Hannah Reed
N2 Publishing
Anne Lyon
Mateo Alejandre
Amanda Bonilla
Ron Oliveira
Aaron DeLaO
Peggy Foreman
Milton Hime
Patty Mayes
Tony Pacheco
Gary Cash
Krystal Patel
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? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/21/2022GuideStar 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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- 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 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.