Special Ops Sv Inc
Special Ops Sv Inc
EIN: 81-2874951
as of September 2023
as of September 18, 2023
Mission
Our mission is to keep kids safe from sex trafficking in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Notes from the nonprofit
For Awards and Accreditations, please view our media page on our website :https://findingkids.org/media/
Ruling year
2017
Principal Officer
Isabelle Finney
Main address
PO BOX 1395
LOS ALTOS, CA 94023 USA
EIN
81-2874951
Sexual abuse
Population served
Children and youth
NTEE code
Sexual Abuse, Prevention of (I73)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
FBI studies indicate that the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the largest hubs for child sex trafficking in the United States. Over half a million children go missing each year in our country -- many presumed to be victims of sex trafficking. In 2022, there were 62,200 reports of missing children in California. Studies reveal that two-thirds of runaways are never even reported missing. Sex trafficking is the fastest growing, most profitable business of organized crime in the world. Unlike drugs, a child can be sold multiple times per day, over and over again. All youth are vulnerable to sex traffickers, but those who have already endured some form of trauma become especially easy prey. Unless there is clear evidence of nefarious circumstances, a child who runs away is typically not considered an urgent case by law enforcement. Young victims are often traumatized and scared to testify against the perpetrator.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Special Operations
Founded in 2017, Special Operations was born from an unmet need in our community — the need for boots-on-the-ground private forces to prioritize the search and recovery of at-risk youth in crisis situations who have a high risk of being exploited. We hire specialized private investigators to find the young victims, we get them the help they need, and we support law enforcement efforts to send their predators to prison.
Where we work
Awards
1% For Good 2020
Sereno Group
Affiliations & memberships
Sereno Group 1% For Good 2020
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of perpetrators identified
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Special Operations
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of children found and helped
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Special Operations
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
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?
Our vision it for every child to be free to be a child.
Our mission is to keep kids safe from sex traffickers in the Bay Area and beyond.
Our purpose is to recover young victims, to get them the help they need, and to send traffickers to prison.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our organization was born from an unmet need in our community -- the need for boots-on-the-ground investigators to join the fight to prevent children from being exploited. Our team of private investigators and retired law enforcement officers knows how to find both victims and perpetrators. It takes the community's help to solve hidden sex trafficking crimes. Once a child is recovered, we work with partners to provide direct assistance to the victims -- emergency housing, financial assistance, legal help -- any support they need to begin healing. When victims feel safe and are empowered to testify, traffickers go to prison. The result is a safer community for us all.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since our inception in 2017, we have found over 100 missing children, extended counseling and aftercare to 71 children and families, and identified and prosecuted 36 predators.
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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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
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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 share the feedback we received with the people we serve, 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
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
24.04
Months of cash in 2022 info
12.8
Fringe rate in 2022 info
7%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Special Ops Sv Inc
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
This snapshot of Special Ops Sv Inc’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $376,180 | $419,363 |
| As % of expenses | 98.7% | 60.7% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $376,180 | $419,363 |
| As % of expenses | 98.7% | 60.7% |
| Revenue composition info | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $714,655 | $1,110,476 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 0.0% | 55.4% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $381,254 | $691,113 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 0.0% | 81.3% |
| Personnel | 26.0% | 51.8% |
| Professional fees | 67.4% | 34.8% |
| Occupancy | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 6.6% | 13.3% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $381,254 | $691,113 |
| One month of savings | $31,771 | $57,593 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $413,025 | $748,706 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 17.3 | 12.8 |
| Months of cash and investments | 17.3 | 12.8 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 15.5 | 15.8 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | $548,713 | $738,778 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $5,114 | $211,000 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $0 | $0 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 11.4% | 4.2% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $490,909 | $910,272 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | $490,909 | $910,272 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Principal Officer
Isabelle Finney
Passionate about protecting children. Passionate about justice.
Isabelle is the CEO of Special Operations, an agency that hires private investigators to help families and law enforcement find kids most vulnerable to being commercially exploited into the burgeoning sex trafficking industry. In 2011, Isabelle pivoted from her business career to work closely with organizations focused on protecting the most marginalized in society. She has served as the Director of Strategic Partnerships for International Justice Mission, as Philanthropy Advisor with Geneva Global, and VP of Philanthropy for Opportunity International where she still serves as a Senior Advisor. Isabelle has been on the Board of a local pregnancy resource center and has volunteered with foster children as a court-appointed social advocate (CASA).
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Special Ops Sv Inc
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Special Ops Sv Inc
Board of directorsas of 09/13/2023
Board of directors data
Katie Beers
Susan Lundberg
Steve Wagstaffe
Lynn Miller
Blair Maus
Julianne W.
Runa Magowan
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? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/19/2023GuideStar 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 ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- 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.
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- Letter of Determination
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- Board of Directors data for 2023
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