Lymetv
EIN: 82-3920846
Mission
LymeTV's mission is to reduce the incidence of dangerous tick-borne diseases through prevention, education, & outreach. We envision a world where tick-borne diseases are well understood, rarely caught, & quickly treated. LymeTV is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) registered non-profit organization dedicated to educating the global community about Lyme disease & other dangerous tick-borne infectious diseases located worldwide. We are a diverse team of patients, advocates, caregivers, & people who just love our mission. We believe the best way to reduce tick-borne diseases is by prevention, awareness, & early detection information.
Ruling year
2019
Executive Director
Adina Bercowicz
Main address
PO BOX 15369
PORTLAND, ME 04112 USA
EIN
82-3920846
Diseases and conditions
Safety education
Population served
Children and youth
Adolescents
Adults
Young adults
NTEE code
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (G01)
Safety Education (M40)
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
Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Dangerous tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the northern hemisphere, globally. In the United States, alone, the CDC estimates that 476,000 people are newly infected with Lyme disease each year. Of them, 20% do not get better with the standard course of treatment, leaving tens of thousands of people yearly to live with debilitating chronic health issues. Ticks can transmit a plethora of deadly & dangerous infectious diseases; not only Lyme disease. There are 20 dangerous tick-borne infectious diseases that are prevalent in the United States that can leave a person with lifelong chronic health issues or death.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
School Health Education Program
Children are at the greatest risk for Lyme disease & other tick-borne diseases (with age group 5-9 years old having the highest incidence). LymeTV has developed educational materials to teach Grade K–6 cohorts how to prevent a tick bite. Our Tick Jedi Health Education Program curriculum is provided to schools, camps, and youth organizations for free. As of 2022 year-end, schools in 9 US states and 1 in Canada have registered for our curriculum.
LymeTV produced an interactive cartoon segment based on the school curriculum. The animation allows for a wider distribution of the curriculum, and it engages kids while they learn about tick protection. In addition to the educational animation, our program includes educator lesson plans, supplemental workbooks, and additional resources in both English and Spanish. The most proactive way to reduce the prevalence of tick-borne diseases is through awareness & prevention.
Community Outreach
LymeTV provides free bug spray, permethrin-treated socks, & tick bite prevention education to the Portland, Maine community who are unhoused or underserved.
LymeTV also partners with other health organizations, medical clinics, community centers, & nonprofits to provide free tick health education for the entire Maine community. A majority of our community health events are targeted to serve the unhoused population, the senior population, & populations in underserved communities to provide necessary tick-bite prevention tools & information; however, all of our events are open to the entire community to attend & learn more about protecting themselves from dangerous tick bites.
Documentary Film
LymeTV is currently filming a new Lyme documentary. This film will highlight the advances in Lyme disease research, as well as the science behind Lyme tests, how the disease & other co-infections disseminate, & the dangers of long-term damage to the host body. In addition, the film will feature the hurdles that many Lyme patients face trying to get proper care & early diagnosis. All of us at LymeTV are very excited about the incredible interviews & are honored to work with such a great team to share necessary information on the topic. This documentary will be a free public health informational film, & LymeTV will never charge viewers to watch it.
PSA Commercials
Our PSA (Public Service Announcement) commercial series shows the dangers of Lyme disease & other tick-borne diseases through 30-60 second clips, which are currently broadcast on the Internet. Included in our PSA series is our 99 Problems (But A Tick Ain't One) parody music video on tick bite prevention education.
Tick Talk Series
LymeTV's filmed Tick Talk series consists of informative & dynamic ten-minute segments on various important topics ranging from Why A Patient May Still Be Sick to How To Read Tests. This series is broadcast on the Internet.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
School Health Education Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
LymeTV's Tick Jedi School Health Education program is being used currently in 9 states by thousands of students.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Adults
Related Program
Community Outreach
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2022 provided 888 bottles of tick repellent and 600 pairs of permethrin socks to the unhoused community. We participated in community events, hosted virtual education, & more!
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
As always, the incredible support of our volunteers is a critical part of everything we accomplish.
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?
Prevention is key. Our goal is to reduce the incidence of these diseases by informing the public on the factual & scientifically credible information on ticks and tick bite prevention. We are a team of Tick Jedis, who myth-bust the misconceptions & incorrect information about ticks & tick diseases.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
LymeTV mainly uses the technology of digital media & online tools to reach masses of people which we could not possibly reach, otherwise. With these tools, we are able to put the information in front of the general public using an informative, interesting, & memorable method, which allows for higher retention rates. We also use age-appropriate curriculum & workbooks as a tool to teach children through our in-person tick prevention campaigns, enforcing life-long necessary health skills at an early age.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our organization is capable of meeting our goals through our team of volunteer staff & working board members who provide our educational campaign services to the community & who advocate the risks & dangers of tick-borne infectious diseases. Our team members have expert knowledge in their respective roles to help us succeed with our mission & goals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since being founded in December 2017, our organization has:
Our Executive Director served on the Department of Defense's FY19 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), Tick-Born Disease Research Panel (TBDRP) as a Scientific Consumer Review;
Been invited to participate in the DHHS LymeX workshop, driving innovation for tick-borne research;
Developed a curriculum for the University of New England's AHEC CUP Scholar distinction program for medical students doing Rural Health Immersions in Maine;
Won as a top 5 team in the Invisible International 2020 Educate & Elevate: Tick-Borne Disease Hack-A-Thon;
Reach the local homeless community by giving free bug spray, tick information, & food during our annual Bagels & Bug Spray health events;
Reached thousands of people (homeless & passersby) at our community health events;
Partnered with a local medical clinics catering to homeless patients by providing them with bug spray & tick brochures;
Provided lectures at schools to parents, staff, school board, nurses unions;
Provided free tick prevention lectures to local nonprofits & community centers, & distributed prevention materials to multiple medical offices, nonprofits, & government buildings;
Provided ongoing year-round tick tubes for wooded school property to help reduce the number of ticks on the grounds;
Filmed three rounds of interviews for our upcoming documentary;
Released our Tick Talk series & PSA commercial series online April 2019;
Created a parody music video on tick bite prevention;
Held community fundraisers;
Interviewed for four news stories, two radio group interviews across 7 radio stations, two podcast interviews;
Our ED was invited to give a Spark Talk at the 2019 Maine Association of NonProfits Communications Conference on our mission & message;
And more!
Each year we hope to extend our community outreach by an additional five schools & five organizations, & larger Bagels & Bug Spray events. Our film production completion goal is in Summer 2023 (this date is a delayed date due to the pandemic); our PSA & Tick Talk series are ongoing. We expect to continue our growth & outreach at a sustainable trajectory. Our work grows as our team of volunteers & funding grows. We are a team of 24.
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 collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2020 info
5.31
Months of cash in 2020 info
8.9
Fringe rate in 2020 info
0%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Lymetv
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
Lymetv
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
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
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of Lymetv’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 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $2,689 | $17,100 |
| As % of expenses | 12.0% | 97.5% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $157 | $14,168 |
| As % of expenses | 0.6% | 69.2% |
| Revenue composition info | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $25,022 | $42,085 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 0.0% | 68.2% |
| 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 | $22,453 | $17,539 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 0.0% | -21.9% |
| Personnel | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Professional fees | 8.6% | 0.0% |
| Occupancy | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 91.4% | 98.8% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $24,985 | $20,471 |
| One month of savings | $1,871 | $1,462 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $26,856 | $21,933 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 0.2 | 8.9 |
| Months of cash and investments | 0.2 | 8.9 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 0.2 | 11.9 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | $388 | $13,026 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $0 | $15,000 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $10,588 | $10,588 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 43.7% | 71.4% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 6.0% | 7.8% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $6,316 | $20,484 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $8,468 |
| Total net assets | $6,316 | $28,952 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Adina Bercowicz
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Lymetv
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Lymetv
Board of directorsas of 01/29/2023
Board of directors data
Adina Bercowicz
Yan Zelener
Tracy Lockwood
Alison Cargo
Rebecca Vitsmun
Carol Heller
Meghan Bradshaw
Gabriela Wijegunawardena
Alyssa Gargano
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 composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? 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
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/15/2020GuideStar 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 seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- 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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- Financial statements for 2019
- Letter of Determination
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- Board of Directors data for 2023
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