PLATINUM2024

Hebrew Free Loan

INTEREST-FREE LENDING SINCE 1897

aka Hebrew Free Loan of San Francisco   |   San Francisco, CA   |  www.hflasf.org

Mission

We provide interest-free loans to help Jewish individuals in Northern California overcome financial challenges and pursue life dreams. Loans are also available to those who meet one of the following criteria, regardless of religion: employee of a Jewish organization; business partner with a Jewish resident of Northern California; student from a lower income home who is referred by a partner agency (see hflasf.org/pollak). As loans are repaid, funds are recycled to make new loans. We’ve proven the success of this model with a repayment rate of over 99%.

Notes from the nonprofit

Our philosophy is simple: we help people to help themselves by providing financial assistance. We're the only nonprofit in Northern California that provides interest-free loans. We help members of the Jewish community realize their dreams. While the philosophy is simple, it's based on a biblical mandate to the Jewish people. In Parsha Mishpatim, God tells Moses and the people of Israel that they may not derive personal benefit from loans made to members of their community – in other words, they may not charge interest. Indeed, this practice has proven to be an integral part of Jewish life for centuries, reflecting a commitment to this ancient ethical teaching. It's the foundation – the inspiration – for our nonprofit.

Ruling year info

1935

Executive Director

Ms. Cindy Rogoway

Main address

131 Steuart St. Suite 520

San Francisco, CA 94105 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

94-1156545

NTEE code info

Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (S12)

Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (P12)

Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (W12)

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 2023, 2022 and 2022.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

We're charged with maintaining the delicate balance between respecting the agency’s history and direct link to our biblical roots, while embracing innovation and ensuring our relevance in the future. While we evolve, we'll never lose sight of the heart and soul of our mission: helping people to become and remain self sufficient, and empowering our interest-free loan recipients to live the lives to which they aspire. That’s the impact to which we aspire! In the midst of uncertain and challenging times, we're proud of the impact our unique financial services have on community members. That said, we've only begun to scratch the surface in terms of reaching those in need. To maximize our impact, we recommit ourselves to strengthening our fundraising, outreach, and services.

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?

Interest-Free Loans

Hebrew Free Loan offers interest-free loans to Jewish individuals in Northern California to fulfill a variety of financial needs. Those seeking loans must complete a loan application, which includes meeting in person with a Hebrew Free Loan staff member and obtaining cosigners or a security agreement. After our Board of Directors approves the request, the loan is disbursed. Repayment begins approximately 30 days after the loan is disbursed, and ranges from two to five years, depending on the amount borrowed.

Loan categories include:
Adoption
Business
Coronavirus Impact
Debt Consolidation
Disaster Relief
Emergency
Fertility
First-Time Homebuyer
General Needs
Health Care
Jewish Organization
Life Cycle
Recently Unemployed
Special Needs
Student
Ukraine Assistance

Population(s) Served

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.

Total dollar amount of loans issued

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Years are according to a July 1st-June 30th Fiscal Year.

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.

We seek to be a more robust and vibrant agency by exploring creative approaches to funding our operation and expanding our services. We'll increase our visibility and reinforce our role in the community as the central resource for people needing financial assistance in the form of interest-free loans.

We seek to continue the rapid growth we've seen over the past couple of years and are always striving to have a greater impact on our interest-free loan recipients and the community as a whole.

We have several strategies for obtaining our goals:

• Work with an engaged and supportive board of directors
• Implement an aggressive fundraising effort
• Manage a unified, talented, and efficient staff team
• Increase our visibility throughout the community
• Create new loan programs and funding strategies that speak to the next generation

To accomplish these goals, we've committed to a renewed effort to reconnect and cultivate relationships with an emerging community of younger donors, who either directly benefited from our services or have family members who received support from us. We also seek to leverage existing and past loan recipients to reach more prospective loan recipients, broaden our outreach channels, and increase partnerships with like-minded agencies in the Jewish community.

We believe we'll be able to accomplish our goals with the hard work of our existing staff, the help of community partners, and the generosity of our community of donors. Past growth in contributions and loans outstanding form the basis for this positive assessment.

We're tracking closely with planned levels of growth. While we've experienced success towards our goals, we have several years remaining in the strategic plan before all objectives can be reached.

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 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, 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 collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, 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 look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, 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?

    It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

Hebrew Free Loan
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Operations

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

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • 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.

Hebrew Free Loan

Board of directors
as of 03/14/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Gregg Rubenstein

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? No