28 February 2011

Financial Support and the Lives it Changes

It’s the time of year when we give you a report on our previous year’s financials. We are so grateful for those of you who have faithfully given for many years.
In 2010 our income fell short of our expenses by nearly $56,000. But because of those who gave so generously in previous years we had reserves to cover this gap. In fact, that’s precisely why we have reserves.
We take this shortfall very seriously, and are working to prevent this from happening again. We tried to keep our expenses at a minimum in 2010, which were $20,000 less than we budgeted. We anticipate that 2011 will be challenging financially, so we worked hard to keep our 2011 budget as low as possible. This year’s budget is $310,813, and the chart to the left shows the expense summary.
We don’t take your support for granted. The economy continues to be challenging, and there are many good causes to support. We hope to remain at the top of your list, and want you to know the difference you are making.
In the last 18 months:
• 50% of applicants think about cutting 4 or more times a day. This drops to 13% after women have been in our program for 90 days.
• 64% of applicants feel hopeless. After 30 days in our program, this drops to 22%, and after 90 days in the program 0% of ladies report feeling hopeless.
• 55% of applicants rate their depression to be 8 or higher on a scale of 0-10 (10 being the highest). After 30 days in our program, this drops to 22%.

The pie chart shows our expenses separated into three broad categories. Direct Client, 73%, includes any expenses directly related to services provided to our residents. Marketing, 16%, includes costs associated with items such as newsletters and fundraising events. Administration, 11%, includes general office supplies and bookkeeping.