Elpis Enterprises

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, we worked with 39 young people living at the poverty level and were experiencing or at risk for unstable housing. Each had a different path to Elpis. Some were teen parents. Some had justice or foster care system involvement, and some were children of immigrants and refugees. Others came from or were living in chaotic households with parents and guardians struggling to meet their children's needs. The result too often was not having the opportunities to develop the skills, experiences, and community connections needed to launch a career path that will allow them to feel valued, empowered, and attain financial independence. Elpis uses the power of the small business environment to change that! Of the 39 trainees we worked with in 2024, - 100% received guidance and support on a regularly scheduled basis with our career counselor as they created a career pathway plan.- 88% completed our program. Of trainees completing our program (after participating in our program for 240 to 480 hours over three to six months which represents 20 hours a week):- 94% were employed and/or continuing their career-related education three months after completing our program.- 92% rated our program as "Excellent or "Very Good" Of those employed, they were earning as much as 66% above the minimum wage with most making 15% above the minimum wage.- 73% completed one or more introductory certifications recognized in the broader community (e.g. OSHA 10, North Star Digital Literacy).Of trainees who completed our program in 2023, we continue to be in touch with 86% of them (this is 12 to 20 months after completing our program) and 95% continue to be employed and/or continuing their education. We provide guidance and serve as a sounding board to our graduates as needed. Our trainees facilitated 165 workshops that provided almost 10,000 youth with hands-on experience in building a bird feeder. They also staffed Elpis' booth at community festivals.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 80.2%; rating input score 80
• Fundraising efficiency: $16.03 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • 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: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -9.1%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.41; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.69; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 13.4% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 18.4% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings