Dress for Success Arizona

What it reported doing in 2025

At the Career Center, our clients gain access to the resources, support and education they need to excel in their career. Clients are paired with staff members to create resumes and cover letters, conduct mock interviews and take advantage of our professional skills training course. We know that helping a woman look and feel her best gives her the confidence she needs to successfully begin a new career. We invite our clients to work with a personal shopper to select an outfit for their upcoming interviews. Once the client has been offered a job, she is invited to return to Dress for Success to choose a weeks worth of professional clothing.The Workforce Initiative (TWI) delivers age-specific workforce education and career readiness programming for young people ages 1624 through partner high schools and community sites across Maricopa County. Participants complete career development workshops led by Career Specialists covering resume writing, interviewing, professional branding, workplace ethics, and job readiness skills. Young people receive individualized career coaching, academic and resource navigation support, and connections to postsecondary education partners including Maricopa County Community Colleges and Arizona State University. Participants also receive professional interview attire. Coaching and support services continue after training through partner referrals and follow-up support to reinforce skill application and goal attainment.EducateHER supplements educational costs for women experiencing poverty. Unlike typical scholarship programs, however, EducateHER offers holistic, wrap-around support. Transportation, childcare, and emergency funds may be mundane expenses, but they can also be debilitating for women pursuing post-secondary education. An advanced degree can pave the way for a womans economic uplift in the future but earning that degree is impossible when a woman cannot afford bus fare or find a trustworthy person to watch her children today.Dress for Success Arizona is the host organization for Bank On Arizona, which works to provide access to safe and appropriate financial products and services for underserved communities across Arizona.A basic banking account is an important first step in participating in the financial mainstream depositing your paycheck safely, paying bills effectively, accessing or building credit, and saving for emergencies and the future.Participating banks and credit unions across Arizona offer low-cost, low-fee transaction accounts that are certified as meeting the Bank On National Account Standards.Dress for Success Arizona is proud to introduce the HOPE for Success program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to empower women transitioning from incarceration to community reintegration. This comprehensive program offers tailored support services to help participants navigate the unique challenges of reentry. By addressing barriers such as public stigma, emotional adjustment and employment difficulties, HOPE for Success equips women with the tools they need to rebuild their lives. From no-cost job readiness training and workforce navigation to ongoing personal development, the program provides a real second chance for these women to achieve lasting success and contribute positively to their communities.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 94.9%; rating input score 95
• Program expense ratio: 82.1%; rating input score 82
• Fundraising efficiency: $9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Fail
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -15.5%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.56; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.76; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5.8%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 18.2% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 15% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings