ProKids

What it reported doing in 2024

ProKids exists because of the over 3,500 children annually who are under the juvenile court's jurisdiction due to abuse and neglect, most who have been removed from their homes and placed into the foster care system. Founded in 1981 through the collaborative efforts of the Cincinnati Bar Association, the Hamilton County Juvenile Court, and the Junior League of Cincinnati, ProKids is the only nonprofit to provide best interest advocacy on behalf of these children. Children's safety and wellbeing is central to ProKids. Our efforts focus on connecting critical community support to the children who need it most through 2 primary means: Working Collaboratively ProKids creates alliances with partners in the local child protection system including Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services (HCJFS), Hamilton County Juvenile Court, and the Public Defender's Guardian ad Litem division. Recruiting, Training, and Advocating The largest component of ProKids' work is recruiting, training, and supporting community volunteers to speak up for children who have been abused and neglected. These individuals, known as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Volunteers, are the heart of ProKids' service model and work closely with a ProKids CASA Manager and Staff Attorney as part of a highly trained Advocacy Team for each case. Over the past decade, ProKids has doubled the number of children served and improved outcomes. In 2024, ProKids directly nearly 1,000 children (roughly 1/3 of court-involved children in Hamilton County) with the support of over 300 CASA Volunteers. 88% experienced stability while assigned to ProKids, 99% did not experience a recurrence of abuse or neglect, and 91% lived in a safe, permanent home when their case closed.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 25.9%; rating input score 26
• Program expense ratio: 67%; rating input score 67
• Fundraising efficiency: $17.62 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th 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: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 67.1%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.9; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.3%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 18.5% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 22.2% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings