Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center

What it reported doing in 2024

Community Integration is a dynamic, adaptive program that seeks to serve the changing needs of the immigrant community. CI is on the ground, out in the community, actively listening to challenges that need resources. CI is hosting Webex Master Calendar Hearings, writing resumes, voter registration drives, and financial wellness classes. By fostering connections with local organizations and community members, they help newcomers build a strong support network, promoting a sense of belonging and active participation in the community. iEnglish: English proficiency is an essential gateway to economic opportunity for immigrant workers. Yet access to acquiring these skills is persistently limited by a lack of resources and attention. Increasing investment in adult English instruction-through targeted outreach and digital language literacy will enhance the human capital of immigrants that could lead to enhanced career opportunities and better outcomes for their families. Through the iEnglish Project, we hope to provide regional business leaders with the opportunity to enhance the economic mobility of their current and future workforce by investing in adult English instruction. Support services, business hub, and Women lead: The organization offers new Mainers support services in many formats. The vision of the Business Hub is as an accelerator for helping immigrant entrepreneurs achieve their business goals and as a critical and respected part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Greater Portland area. Our mission is to help immigrant-owned businesses understand, navigate, and thrive in the Maine business community. We do this by developing four key resource areas: access to capital, training, mentoring, and networking. The Business Hub works one-on-one with 10-15 unique businesses each month to support business plan development, evaluate financing options, identify opportunities for growth, develop financial projections, and more. Upon completion of the Women Lead program, each participant has been matched with a volunteer mentor who has experience in the profession they wish to pursue in the US. The program's curriculum was enhanced through collaboration with community organizations that provided instruction on financial literacy, HR perspectives, boundary-setting, digital literacy, resume and cover letter writing, and more. The women also participated in mock interviews and a job fair to practice these valuable networking and job-seeking skills in a supportive environment. While many of the women are still awaiting their work permits, they are collaborating with their mentors to be best prepared for when their employment authorization arrives. This includes getting their foreign credentials evaluated, improving their English proficiency, and participating in relevant training and networking opportunities. In addition to mentorship, the former participants remain connected to their in-house case manager, where they are encouraged to share updates on their progress toward their goals.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 63.6%; rating input score 64
• Fundraising efficiency: $10.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th 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: 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: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -80.9%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.09; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.95; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 7.7%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 37.8% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 20.2% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 20.1% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings