The Welman Project

What it reported doing in 2024

With our educator resource program, we're tackling two big issues in our community - waste output generated by businesses and lack of resources in our schools - with one innovative solution: creative reuse. We collect surplus materials from companies and donate those items to classrooms, working one-on-one with teachers to provide free, curriculum-enhancing repurpose alternatives to purchasing new supplies. Providing free materials for their classroom provides immediate relief to teachers, giving them meaningful community support and significant cost savings to be able to stay on the job, and enabling them to focus on student outcomes rather than struggling to get the supplies they need. The teachers we serve overwhelmingly report feeling less stressed and better prepared to address their student's needs, both because of the ideas and materials received and the encouragement of coming to a place where they feel supported by the community. By enabling educators to utilize readily-available resources from the community rather than relying on the purchase of expensive educational materials, we're removing the district red tape and financial disparities that contribute to teacher burnout and inequity across our schools, leading to better outcomes for students long-term. In 2024, we kept 281 dumpsters worth of material from going to the landfill, served 6,588 educators, and distributed $2.7 million worth of supplies to schools.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 96%; rating input score 96
• Program expense ratio: 97.8%; rating input score 98
• Fundraising efficiency: $66.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 23.5%; rating input score 24; 13th 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • 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: 1.9%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.06; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 105.9% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 48.3% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 16.9% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings