Assistance League of Santa Monica
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
To assist children and young adults in need in our community to be successful in school and life
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Operation School Bell
Provides about 780 backpacks with school supplies, vision and dental care for nearly 190 children in need in the Santa Monica/Malibu School District and West District/Bay Area of Los Angeles Unified School District. Emergency clothing was also provided to schools as requested by school nurses.
Assistance League Camperships
Program provides scholarships to day camp and sleep-over camp for children in need. A special program for disabled youth provides summer day camp experiences for this population through Circle of Friends.
Assistance League Scholarships
Full or partial one year scholarships for college are awarded to students at Santa Monica and Olympic High Schools. Students can apply for annual renewals of their awards.
Assistance League Outreach
Provides a flexible, rapid-response strategy by which we can respond to specific community needs that do not fit within currently existing programs and that can be addressed on a one-time only basis
Community Support
Assistance League Community Support supplies local nonprofits with clothes and household goods either monthly or on an as-needed basis. Potential partners are identified through requests from nonprofits, referrals from partnering schools or from Assistance League of Santa Monica members.
Where we work
Awards
Most Loved Santa Monica Thrift Shop 2016
Buy Local Santa Monica
Most Loved Santa Monica 2017
Buy Local Santa Monica
Most Loved Santa Monica 2018
Buy Local Santa Monica
Most Loved Santa Monica 2019
Buy Local Santa Monica
Most Loved Santa Monica 2020
Buy Local Santa Monica
Most Loved Santa Monica 2021
Buy Local Santa Monica
Most Loved Santa Monica 2022
Buy Local Santa Monica
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of service recipients
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of customers reporting satisfaction with program
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Assistance League Scholarships
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We count thank-you notes and emails. Formal satisfaction survey every few years. We served fewer people during the pandemic years 2020-2021 and so have fewer satisfaction results.
Number of organizational partners
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This represents the number of participating schools and other organizations we serve.
Number of students who receive scholarship funds and/or tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Young adults
Related Program
Assistance League Scholarships
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of groups/individuals benefiting from tools/resources/education materials provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
See metrics 1 and 3
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
Goal 1: Increase membership and community volunteers by 10% and engage current members more fully
Goal 2: Match philanthropies to needs in the community
Goal 3: Increase philanthropic donations to the community by 10%
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Goal 1: Increase membership and community volunteers by 10% and engage current members more fully
Highlight each one invite one program
Recruit men as Community Volunteers
Develop leadership within the org
Engage current members more fully
Goal 2: Match philanthropies to needs in the community
Determine priority needs in the community
Evaluate effectiveness of current
philanthropies in meeting needs
Continue current and/or develop new
philanthropies
Goal 3: Increase philanthropic donations to the community by 10%
Re-open the Shop safely and efficiently
Maximize the use of technology and social media to enhance publicity and sales
Explore additional fund-raising methods
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Chartered as the 4th chapter in National Assistance League in 1937, Assistance League of Santa Monica has been serving the community for over 80 years. Annually over 70 dedicated member volunteers have touched the lives of more than 4,000 people, volunteering more than 13,000 volunteer hours and returning over $217,000 to the Santa Monica community. An engaged Board of Directors leads a knowledgeable and dedicated chapter membership as they initiate, administer, fund and implement our community based philanthropic programs. We also do an annual review of our programs to ensure that our programs continue to meet the needs of our community. Our members are enabled to do the best job possible by adhering to the educational and legal policies and procedures provided by our national organization.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have increased advertising. especially on Facebook and Instagram, that gave us access to a new audience. We continued to support our programs during the pandemic and even added a new program, Community Support. In each of the years 2016-2022 our Thrift Shop was voted a "Most Loved Santa Monica Business" in at least one category every year.
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?
Elementary through college students. Underserved populations such as the homeless.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), 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?
We were alerted to the fact that we had not considered supporting youth who had transitioned from foster care. We are now giving one or more college scholarships a year to these students, in cooperation with a program at Santa Monica College.
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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?
We regularly share feedback with our large group of Thrift Shop customers. We want to make sure they understand that all of our shop profit goes to our philanthropies. We feel that many of our customers remain loyal customers because they understand our mission and support it.
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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 look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, 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, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, Most of our clients are children and their families. ,
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.
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Board of directorsas of 07/25/2022
Cheryl Clark
Cheryl Clark
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Gloria Fowler
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Gaye Saxon
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Nancy Kearsley
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Mary Ann Lessin
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Margaret Brown
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Leslie Nordby
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Gina Peled
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Fay Herzog
Assistance League of Santa Monica
Sue Ferrell
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 ? Not applicable -
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
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data