Community Loaves

What it reported doing in 2025

We finished the year with 1119 registered volunteers supporting 60 community food banks in Washington, Oregon, Idaho & California. These volunteers donated over 120,000 hours of baking time, resulting in 44,772 loaves of bread, a 12% increase year over year, and 85,607 Grab 'N Go Energy Cookies, a 5% donation increase year-over-year. The organizational support needed to keep this program growing and thriving includes website development, ongoing outreach to both existing and potential bakers, to our food bank partners, onboarding efforts and quarterly coaching for our hub leadership in 68 neighborhood hubs, and supply management - securing, organizing, and delivering the flour and packaging supplies used by our volunteer bakers once a month. In September 2025, we launched a new onboarding process for our bakers, allowing them to attend a 100% virtual volunteer training. They no longer need to wait for a specific date/time combination that worked for them. The results have dramatically improved the number of volunteers who joined in 2025, and we anticipate further growth in 2026. We've continued to foster connection amongst our hub leaders who oversee the in-field effort of the donation to the food banks each month. These teams give Community Loaves a more dynamic forum for idea exchange, program development, and leadership connection. A new, healthier bread recipe/option, 100% whole wheat, and easier for bakers to produce in their home kitchens was launched in March 2025. The year 2025 was also a year when food banks struggled with unexpected withdrawals of federal funding, resulting in increased demand and reliance on organizations like ours for donations. Whole-grain, freshly baked sandwich bread and energy cookies are in short supply, and amidst increasing client loads at our community food banks, our donations have become increasingly necessary.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 98.4%; rating input score 98
• Fundraising efficiency: $6,854.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -20.7%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.36; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 31.1% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 35.3% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings