Fresh Lifelines for Youth Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Fly law programin the fly law program, our staff and carefully recruited, highly trained volunteers teach a fun, interactive 8- to 12-week course using our nationally recognized legal education curriculum, which covers relevant topics such as police encounters, accomplice liability, three strikes, theft, vandalism, drugs, gangs, and police arrests. The law curriculum is interesting and engaging to the youth and is also an excellent vehicle for us to teach critical life skills like anger management, problem solving, conflict resolution, and resisting negative peer pressure. Everything is taught in a nonjudgmental manner with no stigma is attached, which makes the youth more willing to learn. Mid-way through the semester, youth take a field trip to a local university law school where they tour the campus and act out a mock trial in the moot courtroom. The law program classes are taught in schools, community centers, juvenile halls, and juvenile camps and ranches.fly leadership training programthe leadership training program targets youth who are experiencing challenges or barriers that could lead to involvement in the justice system involvement. Fly supports them in building the skills and attitudes they need to live a crime-free, self-sufficient life. The program kicks off with a three-day wilderness retreat that enables youth to break away from negative influences and stresses in order to begin bonding with fly staff and peers and developing trust and teamwork skills. Youth then meet bi-monthly to support each other in group settings and to design service-learning projects in which they give back to the community. Each leadership youth receives intensive coaching from a fly case manager to identify and address their greatest barriers to living a healthy, productive life.court appointed friend and advocate mentor programfly's cafa mentor program pairs caring, trained adult volunteers with youth on probation for a year-long mentoring relationship. Before they are matched with a youth, cafa mentors complete 26 hours of initial training and orientation and commit to follow-up trainings once every three months. Once matched, mentors build positive relationships with youth through weekly 1-on-1 meetings and activities, helping them to develop new ambitions, set and achieve goals, and learn to have fun in a positive, sober way. In addition to being friends and role models to youth, fly cafa mentors are specially appointed by a juvenile court judge so that they can advocate for their mentee by attending juvenile court proceedings, submitting court reports, and addressing the court on behalf of the youth. Each mentor/mentee match has a fly case manager for support and also attends monthly group activities organized by fly.fly middle school programthe fly middle school program helps interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline in which kids with issues at school are disciplined and pushed into the juvenile justice system instead of being offered the services they need. Our program supports seventh and eighth graders who are referred by school officials in santa clara county to stay engaged in school and out of the system. The program offers an age-appropriate version of fly's law program along with one-on-one support from a fly case manager for youth and positive social activities and civic engagement opportunities provided through fly.fly reentry programyouth seeking to reenter the community after incarceration typically face a host of barriers to a successful transition. Reentry assistance is a critical service that's been proven to help youth move forward in a positive direction and avoid going back into the system. The fly reentry program serves youth in longer term incarceration in santa clara and san mateo counties. It runs for approximately 6-9 months (possible extension up to a year if needed) and consists of four phases: pre-release, transition, try-out, and transfer of care. During this time, the assigned case manager will develop

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 53%; rating input score 53
• Program expense ratio: 70.9%; rating input score 71
• Fundraising efficiency: $21.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 25.9%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.97; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 11.4%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 13.3% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings