The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)
Supporting + Connecting Patients, Caregivers, Providers
The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)
EIN: 20-3015108
as of September 2024
as of September 09, 2024
Mission
Our Mission: To support an active, energized and diverse community by promoting Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (CIPM) education, wellness information and advocacy for quality pain care. Our Vision: People with pain are informed experts who actively manage their pain conditions to achieve better health and wellness in partnership with their healthcare providers.
Notes from the nonprofit
What differentiates TPC from other organizations is that TPC engages all stakeholders in advocating for and supporting Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (CIPM). Together we embrace, promote, and educate others about a comprehensive integrative approach to care which is positive, hopeful, and empowering. It requires an understanding that there are no quick fixes for pain, particularly when pain becomes chronic. To heal and achieve a new level of wellness takes work by both the person with pain and their health care provider(s). TPC provides a safe and informed place for everyone–all genders, races and ethnicities, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, spiritualities, and more–with discussions in chat rooms, blogs, and fact sheets for people with pain, advocates, and professionals. Healthcare professionals and researchers can find information and perspectives of people with pain. This fosters empathy and opens discussions to facilitate best practices.
Ruling year
2005
Chair
Yvette Colón PhD, ACSW, LMSW
Treasurer
Maggie Buckley MBA, BCPA
Main address
PO Box 1293
Alamo, CA 94507 USA
EIN
20-3015108
Health
Public affairs
Population served
Adults
NTEE code
Health - General and Rehabilitative N.E.C. (E99)
Diseases, Disorders, Medical Disciplines N.E.C. (G99)
Public, Society Benefit - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C. (W99)
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
The Women With Pain Coalition (WWPC) was started in 2004 to raise awareness of gender disparities in pain management. Because of competing priorities and parallel missions of board members, this organization remained dormant until 2011. In 2012, the Board approved a proposal to adopt the DBA (doing business as) name “The Pain Community” (TPC) and established a steering committee to continue the work of promoting access to comprehensive integrative pain management. The steering committee endeavored to build an informed virtual community in which people with pain, caregivers, family members, and healthcare professionals can share information, education, advocacy, and, above all, generous and compassionate support.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Virtual Community
To improve the overall health, wellbeing, and quality of life of people with pain. This is a much needed support organization that has been created to build an informed virtual community in which people with pain, their family members, and friends can receive information, education, advocacy and above all, generous and compassionate support. The organization brings people together to support one another through discussion forums, chat rooms, webinars and support group conference phone calls. Collaborating with other patient support organizations to increase education, awareness and advocacy about integrative pain management care.
Pain College
TPC Pain College is an information rich, web based learning resource utilizing interactive programming to learn about and how to incorporate integrative treatment options into an individual's pain treatment plan.
HEALING ART PROGRAM
The first Pain College module subject is an eight-session Healing Art experience with the goal of providing a web-based creative art project for distraction, self-management of chronic pain, self-awareness and self-esteem, empowerment, and ultimately improved health outcomes in those with chronic pain.
MUSIC AS MEDICINE PROGRAM
The second Pain College module subject is a six-session Music experience with the goal of helping people to develop expressive music skills to help with your pain management. Those who live with chronic pain may have a difficult time finding the right words to describe a life of chronic pain. Music can provide an alternative way to express ever-changing emotions and be a potential form of help.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
GreatNonProfits 2021
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?
The Pain Community’s (TPC) overarching goal is to improve the overall health, well-being, and quality of life of people with pain. The Pain “Community” consists of patients, healthcare providers, caregivers and family and friends of those patients, providers and caregivers. TPC provides education and advocacy tools to all website visitors. Free membership provides access to TPC’s Pain College and interactive community. To support an active, energized and diverse community by promoting Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (CIPM) education, wellness information and advocacy for quality pain care.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
TPC is a well-established, web-based organization operated by a diverse team of volunteers representing patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, academics, researchers, and advocates. We believe that our team of volunteer board members reflects diversity of perspective and expertise with years of experience working in, and navigating through, the complexities of pain management.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The team of volunteers, which includes a Board of Directors and Steering Committee, understands the complexity of pain and the many ways it interferes with people's lives. All have years of experience working, and navigating through, the complexities of the pain management system and are knowledgeable about quality resources and useful tools available for people with pan. In addition, the team has experience in working together to encourage, coach, and support people with pain to become empowered and understand that, ultimately, people with pain have the power to effect positive change in themselves, their pain care, and overall health are. TPC strives to help each individual become an advocate for themselves and for others with pain from the local to the international level.
What differentiates TPC from other organizations is that TPC engages all stakeholders in advocating for and supporting Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (CIPM) . Together we embrace, promote, and educate others about a comprehensive integrative approach to care which is positive, hopeful, and empowering. A caveat: it requires an understanding that there are no quick fixes for pain, particularly when pain becomes chronic. To heal and achieve a new level of wellness takes work by both the person with pain and their health care provider(s).
TPC provides a safe and informed place for everyone – all genders, races and ethnicities, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, spiritualities, and more – with discussions in chat rooms, blogs, and fact sheets for people with pain, advocates, and professionals. We recognize that our experiences are similar and we encourage empowerment and participation in healthcare choices through education and dialogue. Additionally, healthcare professionals and researchers can find information and perspectives of people with pain. This fosters empathy and opens up opportunities for discussions to facilitate best practice treatments.
TPC shares their key messages to others based on this model of pain management. In addition, TPC is committed to demonstrating transparency about fiscal health and operations. This information is publicly available in the financial transparency section.
In addition to the website, The Pain Community volunteers host weekly telephone support group teleconference calls.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Pain Community has successfully built a website and continues to add sections for general pain and for disease specific sub-groups.
The Pain Community launched the online Pain College programming in 2017 which is interactive programming to learn about and how to incorporate integrative treatment options into an individual's pain treatment plan.
The Pain Community is looking for ways to partner with Healthcare Provider Professional organizations to develop content that incorporates the patient perspective in professional training programs.
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 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
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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?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is hard to come up with good questions to ask people, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2023 info
Months of cash in 2023 info
Fringe rate in 2023 info
%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)
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.
The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)
Financial trends analysis Glossary & formula definitionsFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
This snapshot of The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)’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 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $412 | $1,214 | $9,080 | -$10,386 | $903 |
| As % of expenses | 6.6% | 1.1% | 5.3% | -5.7% | 0.5% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $412 | $1,214 | $9,080 | -$10,386 | $903 |
| As % of expenses | 6.6% | 1.1% | 5.3% | -5.7% | 0.5% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $6,674 | $115,620 | $181,713 | $171,795 | $188,364 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -79.7% | 1632.4% | 57.2% | -5.5% | 9.6% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $6,262 | $114,559 | $172,633 | $182,181 | $187,462 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | -78.8% | 1729.4% | 50.7% | 5.5% | 2.9% |
| Personnel | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Professional fees | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Occupancy | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $6,262 | $114,559 | $172,633 | $182,181 | $187,462 |
| One month of savings | $522 | $9,547 | $14,386 | $15,182 | $15,622 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $6,784 | $124,106 | $187,019 | $197,363 | $203,084 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 63.3 | 15.8 | 7.7 | 9.0 | 7.4 |
| Months of cash and investments | 63.3 | 15.8 | 7.7 | 9.0 | 7.4 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 63.3 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $33,054 | $150,844 | $110,758 | $136,545 | $114,842 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $0 | $113,850 | $0 | $0 | $168,080 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 0.0% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 8.0% | 0.0% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $33,054 | $34,268 | $43,348 | $32,962 | $33,865 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $227,476 | $65,660 | $92,601 | $249,057 |
| Total net assets | $33,054 | $261,744 | $109,008 | $125,563 | $282,922 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Chair
Yvette Colón PhD, ACSW, LMSW
Yvette holds masters and doctoral degrees in clinical social work, with experience in human resources, consumer education, Internet technology, training and supporting online communities, and bilingual psychosocial support for pain, palliative care and oncology communities. With more than 25 years of experience, she has served on non-profit boards and published and lectured on pain management, psychosocial oncology, end-of-life care, diversity, and technology-based social work services. As part of a multicultural group private practice, she provides individual and couple psychotherapy to adults dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, LGBTQQ+ issues, general life concerns, and EMDR for chronic pain. Yvette is a cancer survivor and a past caregiver for a person with chronic pain. She also served on the steering committee for The Pain Community during the early years.
Treasurer
Maggie Buckley
has been a Health and Patient advocate for over three decades years while living with the chronic pain condition Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She has served on the boards of several non-profit patient and professional organizations. On the subject of healthcare, she has testified at local, state and federal policy hearings, spoken at conferences and in the media, written articles, and coached hundreds of people to self-advocate for better care written articles. Maggie has an M.B.A. in accounting with experience in banking and business management. In 2019 she became a Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA).
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)
Board of directorsas of 10/25/2023
Board of directors data
Yvette Colón
The Pain Community
Term: 2023 - 2026
Maggie Buckley
The Pain Community
Term: 2023 - 2026
Maggie Buckley
The Pain Community
Yvette Colón
The Pain Community
Teresa Shaffer
The Pain Community
Kay-Diene Robinson
The Pain Community
Karen Macey-Stewart
The Pain Community
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? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/25/2023GuideStar 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 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 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 seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- 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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- Form 1023 / 1024
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