Mission
The mission of Birch Community Services is to provide a community where people can be responsible and accountable for meeting their basic needs, and to equip them with tools to overcome financial difficulty.
Ruling year
1997
Executive Director
Mrs. Suzanne Birch
Main address
17780 NE San Rafael
Portland, OR 97230 USA
EIN
93-1186020
NTEE code
Human Service Organizations (P20)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Thousands of families in the Portland metro area are chronically teetering on the edge of financial crisis, even though one or more of the family members has a job. In East Portland, where most BCS participants live, there are almost 20,000 families with incomes between $30,680 (the poverty level) and $77,000 (the median household income in Portland). This $77,000 is almost the exact amount that an MIT study has established as a “livable” household income in Portland. (Glasmeier, Amy K. Living Wage Calculator. 2020. MIT. livingwage.mit.edu.) The gap between what these working families earn and what they would need in order to reasonably “get by” is an additional 25% of their current income. Adding debt and minimum payments to the equation only makes the gap more difficult. For these families, every penny counts.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Sustainable Families Program
The Sustainable Families Program addresses the root causes of hunger and economic hardship through four pillars: Food. Education. Freedom. Legacy. Families:
-Receive groceries weekly at a value of approximately $1,000/month.
-Take our Re$tart class and meet one-on-one with our Financial Literacy Manager to establish financial goals and how to achieve them.
-Volunteer monthly to become an integral part of our community.
Where we work
Awards
Rated 4 out of 4 stars 2019
Charity Navigator
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of food donation partners
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Sustainable Families Program
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
In 2020, BCS received a record-breaking number of donations (13.7 million lbs) and thoughtfully reduced the number of smaller giving partners to be most efficient in receiving and distributing.
Total pounds of food rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Sustainable Families Program
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Estimated dollar value of food donations distributed to community feedings programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Each year, we distribute approximately five million dollars of food to about 70 other nonprofit food pantires.
Number of financial literacy courses conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Sustainable Families Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Attendance is appoximately 200 people each year (distributed between the classes).
Number of participants counseled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These are one-on-one financial counseling meetings with families.
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?
BCS addresses the need to empower those that fall between the cracks of government services. We seek to equip working, struggling people with the tools they need to overcome financial difficulty through our four pillars: Food. Education. Freedom. Legacy.
Providing food every week provides immediate emotional and financial relief, while creating a margin in budget to pay down debt. Education is provided by our Financial Literacy Manager through one-on-one meetings and financial courses. Freedom is experienced as goals are accomplished and families become debt-free. Legacy results as families are able to demonstrate financial stability and influence their community and their children's futures.
The reported top eight outcomes at Birch are:
Consistently budgeting and tracking spending to get current on bills
Creating an Emergency Fund
Paying more on debt
Saving more each month
Living with and by a financial plan
Relieving stress at home
Communicating better about money as a family
Paying for medical expenses
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We provide working, struggling families with weekly shopping trips and financial education. Families comes to our warehouse to get food, clothing, and household items in order to create margin in their budget. They then meet with one-on-one with our Financial Literacy Manager to set individualized financial goals, and enroll in our Re$tart budgeting class.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Being around for over 25 years, BCS has been able to establish a well-structured program based on years of feedback from our families. Each year BCS may look a little different, but we continue to do our best to improve and grow. We are currently located in a 23,000 sq warehouse that provides us the space we need to distribute over 10 million pounds of product a year. Additionally we have a staff of 11 and a classroom that allows the space for financial education.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have redistributed over 50 million pounds of food, clothing and household items to over 32,000 people. More importantly though, we've provided a community where people can be responsible and accountable for meeting their basic needs. For the next 25 years, BCS not only seeks to improve our services and outcomes here in Portland, but also to continue to replicate its model all over the U.S.
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?
Birch Community Services serves individuals and families who are on a "poverty cliff." They generally make too much to receive public assistance, but still not enough to make ends meet.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Suggestion box/email,
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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 inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, 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?
After our receiving feedback about our Financial Literacy meetings and courses, we have hired a second financial counselor to keep up with demand and eliminate wait lists.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, 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?
Asking for feedback has allowed all people feel heard, respected, and valued. At Birch Community Services, we believe in a dignified way to receive a hand up.
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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 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, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to identify actionable 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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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.
Birch Community Services
Board of directorsas of 10/5/2021
Mr. Alex Krider
Avier Advisors
Term: 2017 -
Mr. Egbert Kunrath
Kunrath, Willard and Associates (Retired)
Term: 1997 -
Aaron Aigner
Aigner & Co.
Suzanne Birch
Birch Community Services, Inc.
Greg Cervetto
Grayrose Marketing Group, Inc.
David Riewald
Bullard Law
Rick Teeny
Teeny Foods
Leann Rowlett
Hollywood Farmers Market
Egbert- Kunrath
Kunrath, Willard and Associates
Mark Childs
Capacity Commercial Group
Alex Krider
Avier Advisors
Alexander Spalding
Daniel House
Angela Small
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
Disability
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