Assistance League of Ventura County
Transforming Lives - Strengthening Communities
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Assistance League’s six philanthropic programs have been created, over the last 70 years, to reach out to those in need in Ventura County, focusing primarily on children and young adults. They may need: - new school clothes to give them the confidence and self-esteem to make friends and put their best selves forward in the classroom, - new and gently used clothing to ease the trauma of entering foster care having been abruptly moved with few personal possessions beyond the clothes that they were wearing, - financial assistance to realize their dream of an education that will help them be successful in their chosen field of endeavor, - a special “friend” to cling to when they need one the most, - comfortable and appropriate clothing offered by caring professionals when theirs has been kept for forensic evidence, - a helping hand that can ease loneliness and despair.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Operation School Bell
Provides new school clothing, toiletries and school supplies, free of charge, to underprivileged children from low-income families who attend elementary schools in Ventura County. The resulting confidence and self-esteem promote positive social development and academic achievement.
B.U.F.F.Y. Bear
Cuddly bears wearing shirts with the message, "Bears Understand Friends, Feelings and You", help comfort and reassure children in crisis. The bears are given to youngsters by the Ventura County District Attorney's Crime Victims' Assistance program and Child Abduction and Recovery Unit, as well as local hospitals and first responders.
Teens Helping Teens
Managed and supported by the Assisteens auxiliary, which is comprised of boys and girls in the 7th through 12th grade, this program provides homeless teens and teens in foster care with holiday gifts that include personal hygiene products, games and toys, and food, retail and entertainment gift cards. Also given are gift cards for food to alleviate hunger during school breaks.
Assault Survivor Kits
This philanthropic program, managed and supported by the Nancy R. Brandt Auxiliary, provides victims of sexual assault and physical abuse with emergency clothing and personal items in partnership with the Ventura County District Attorney’s domestic violence program, Safe Harbor.
Care Closet
In collaboration with Ventura County’s Children and Family Services, Care Closet provides gently used clothing for infants and children who are in foster care and responds to emergency requests by foster families for needed items such as cribs, sheets, blankets, car seats and safety gates. It also provides young adults, who have aged out of foster care and are living on their own, as well as members of fragile families, with clothing, household goods and other essential items.
Scholarships
Annually, two $1,500 scholarships are given to young women who have graduated from high school and are seeking assistance to continue their education. Four $5,000 scholarships are given to college students attending California State University Channel Islands who are pursuing degrees in science or engineering. A $4,000 scholarship is given to adults who are re-entering a community college or university with a goal of acquiring a degree or completing a certificated program after a hiatus in their education.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Chamber of Commerce 2015
National Assistance League 1950
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children who receive new clothing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Operation School Bell
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The target population served by Operation School Bell is elementary school children in need. This shows an annual increase of children served by 7.7% from 2021 to 2022 and 57 % from 2022 to 2023.
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?
Assistance League’s goal is to use its programs to transform the lives of those who are marginalized in the community by poverty or a lack of education. Our programs help children and adults overcome obstacles to success and put them on a path toward acquiring the skills that they need to achieve equity in their world. Programs also aid children and adults in crisis who have been victims of domestic violence or affected by violence toward others.
To successfully achieve these goals, we have identified three priorities:
• Membership Growth: Maintain a fully engaged and committed active chapter membership of 100,
• Fund Development: Increase chapter revenue by 10% annually to serve more children in Ventura County,
• Philanthropic Programs: Ensure that all programs demonstrate measurable outcomes against objectives.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Membership Growth:
1. Develop and implement procedures to provide for satisfaction and retention
2. Utilize members' strength/skills
3. Expand community outreach
Fund Development:
1. Design and implement an internal fund development plan
2. Design and implement an external fund development plan.
Philanthropic Programs:
1. Evaluate and measure success annually
2. Develop a plan to increase children and adults served
3. Develop and use philanthropic program outcome data for marketing and resource development.
Overarching Strategies:
1. Increase member participation/involvement
2. Increase community awareness
3. Provide financial and human resources to ensure chapter success.
4. Review and refine the leadership development program.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Membership -
Assistance League of Ventura County has a 12 member Board of Directors and195 member volunteers which includes the chapter and two auxiliaries. Most of the members are retired professionals who bring a wealth of experience to the organization and are committed to achieving the chapters goals and objectives. They accept leadership positions as Board members and committee chairmen, provide needed manpower for the philanthropic programs and participate in fundraising activities. The chapter also has an Advisory Board that is comprised of professionals from the community.
Fiscal Responsibility -
To ensure ongoing solvency, Assistance League has an Investment Committee that is responsible for the investments of the Ventura County chapter in compliance with the chapter Investment Policy, Objectives and Guidelines. The Finance Committee is responsible for the overall financial planning of the chapter, recommends finance policies and compiles an annual budget that is presented to the Board of Directors and the membership for approval. A Certified Public Accountant is engaged annually to audit the chapter's financials and operations. Revenue comes from individual and corporate donations, grants, fundraising activities, our Bargain Box resale store and the return on investments.
Philanthropic Programs
In keeping with its long-standing objectives of reaching out to children and adults in need, Assistance League manages and supports six philanthropic programs.
Operation School Bell provides new school clothes to elementary school children that promotes confidence and self-esteem helping young students put their best selves forward in the classroom.
Care closet, in collaboration with the Ventura County Children and Family Services Agency, provides new and gently used clothing to children and teens who enter foster care or who may have been abruptly moved with few personal possessions beyond the clothes that they were wearing.
Scholarships supports four college students who excel in the studies of science or engineering at California State University Channel Islands, two young women who are attending college or receiving vocational training who were members of Assistance Leagues Girls Club Teen Club and a re-entry scholarship, in collaboration with Ventura Community College, for a student who is returning to college to complete their degree or certification program after a hiatus in their education.
B.U.F.F.Y. Bear gives children in crisis a special furry friend to cling to during traumatic times. They are distributed by first responders, healthy start schools and agencies that serve children in crisis.
Assault Survivor Kits provide children and adults, who have been abused or sexually assaulted, with new appropriate clothing offered by caring professionals when theirs has been kept for forensic evidence.
Teens Helping Teens offers a helping hand to homeless teens and teens in foster care that can ease loneliness and despair.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
During fiscal year 2022-2023, more than 4,000 children and adults were served by our philanthropic programs.
Assistance League School - 27 children attended this pre-school for children with developmental delays primarily in the areas of speech communication.
B.U.F.F.Y. Bear - 723 cuddly bears were distributed to children in crisis.
Operation School Bell - 2,275 children received new school clothes.
Care closet - 700 resource families were provided with new and gently used clothing and/or needed equipment for children put into their care.
Assault Survivor Kits - 222 children and adults were served.
Teens Helping Teens - 146 homeless teens and teens in foster care received items needed for daily living. Many received gift cards for food to tide them over during school breaks.
Whats next?
Needs in the community change over time. Priorities shift just as its residents, the economy and societal values do. In addition to the chapter's strategic plan, there is open communication between Board members, committee chairmen and our community partners to ensure that our programs are still relevant and meeting community needs.
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
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Assistance League of Ventura County
Board of directorsas of 01/25/2024
Lori Nasatir
Assistance League of Ventura County
Term: 2023 - 2024
Lori Nasatir
Jo Spence
Martha Flournoy
Pam Eichele
Laurie King
Wendy Eales
Rogina Clark
Cindy Daly
Laura Meisch
Jessica Purdy Berg
Joan Oliva
Judy Owen
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: