Towards Employment Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Towards employment (te) has over 48 years of experience successfully helping people gain the tools they need to find a job, navigate life's obstacles, and secure a path toward a long-term career - over 211,000 people since 1976. In 2024, towards employment served 2184 individuals with 561 starting new jobs and 160 advancing in their careers. We partnered with over 300 businesses who have confidence in our proven training programs and personal coaching to prepare new and current employees for career success. Towards employment is a leading community-based workforce organization in northeast Ohio, working to influence the wider system, regional economy, and local community through extensive expertise and reliable partnerships. In 2024 our programs included: community, reentry and young adult services: - career pathways: open to all low-to-moderate income clevelanders who struggle due to a criminal background, history of addiction, unstable housing, and/or need for strengthened foundational, digital, and technical skills. - criminal justice system-based employment programming: provide career readiness services and connection to towards employment for inmates within 6 months of release from prison and community corrections facilities; and then further programming after release at towards employment offices. - young adult: working with young adults 18-24 to provide career readiness services, work experience, technical training and placement services, with ongoing coaching for advancement . Industry partnerships: - access to manufacturing: working with manufacturers in northeast Ohio, this program provides job readiness and technical training for entry level manufacturing jobs and post-employment coaching for retention and advancement. - ern: an employer resource network is an employer collaborative that pools resources to provide an on-the-job success coach available to all employees to help with work/life issues and strengthen retention. Programming at towards employment is based on a proven, rigorously evaluated career pathway model called workadvance which includes career exploration and career readiness training, options for technical training in an in-demand industry, and/or work experience to gain work exposure; job placement assistance and a year of post-employment coaching to help gain employment footholds and advance over time in careers. All candidates receive intensive case management and supportive services to address social determinants of work (non-work-related elements that impact an individual's ability to take advantage of a given job opportunity like reliable/affordable transportation and dependable family care) throughout the pathway. Supportive services quickly respond to individual need at any point along the career pathway - as they complete training, get a job, and keep that job - by accessing community resources first or directly providing services where no community resource exists. Supports include transportation assistance, obtaining ids, professional clothing or uniforms, behavioral health navigation, health exams, credentialing fees, tools, help with utilities, childcare, food, housing, or services related to emergency medical needs. Legal services, provided by te attorneys, assist participants with legal counsel or representation to remove legal barriers to employment or job retention, including expungements, clearing warrants, mediating child support, navigating fees and fines to re-instate drivers' licenses, tenant-landlord and other housing issues, credit/debt, foreclosure, and bankruptcy. Coaches remain in regular contact, with intensive follow-up for the first six months of employment, and then as needed for the rest of the year. Post-employment career coaching helps participants perform well on the job and understand what additional skills and education are required for advancement.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 63.5%; rating input score 64
• Program expense ratio: 80.7%; rating input score 81
• Fundraising efficiency: $21.19 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 44th 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: 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: 21.9%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.22; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.6%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 11.8% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings