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315 MEIGS RD STE A
Santa Barbara CA 93109-1900
Santa Barbara CA | IRS ruling year: 2010 | EIN: 27-1081432
ORGANIC SOUP KITCHEN PROVIDES ONCOLOGY NUTRITION AND ADDRESSES FOOD INSECURITY TO A DIVERSE DEMOGRAPHIC OF INDIVIDUALS STRUGGLING WITH THE EFFECTS OF CANCER AND CHRO ... (More)
ORGANIC SOUP KITCHEN PROVIDES ONCOLOGY NUTRITION AND ADDRESSES FOOD INSECURITY TO A DIVERSE DEMOGRAPHIC OF INDIVIDUALS STRUGGLING WITH THE EFFECTS OF CANCER AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES. (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 100%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 80% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Organic Soup Kitchen is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Organic Soup Kitchen has earned a 100% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
Learn more
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not ApplicableBoard Composition - 5/7 - 25/25 ptsBoard Composition - 5/7 - 25/25 pts
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - Has Audit/Review - 20/20 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - Has Audit/Review - 20/20 pts
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
|---|---|
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Missing - 0/3 ptsConflict of Interest Policy - Missing - 0/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 ptsBoard Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Missing - 0/3 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Missing - 0/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Missing - 0/3 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Missing - 0/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Website - Listed - 3/3 ptsWebsite - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 15.75% - 25/25 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 15.75% - 25/25 pts
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
| Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| Less than 50% | Full Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
| 60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Ratio - 91.48% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 91.48% - 25/25 pts
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
| Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| 70% or higher | Full Credit |
| 60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
| Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
No Data Available
Key Persons data is currently unavailable for this organization. This data is only available if this charity has at least one year of electronically-filed Form 990 data filed within the last six years.
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Activity data not reported from the IRS
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Organic Soup Kitchen) or EIN (271081432) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Organic Soup Kitchen reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
Grants Received
Grants Sent
Balance Sheet
Supply shortages, Increase in Prices, volunteer Limitations due to public health mandates,
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Community support is essential to our organization. As a result of the pandemic, our client base grew exponentially to three times the number of clients we served prior to March 2020. However, as the demand remains at unprecedented levels, access to financial support has slowed significantly.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
Demand for our home delivery of SoupMeals for nutritional security tripled as a result of the public health crisis. Due to social distancing mandates, our administration was not able to utilize volunteers in the kitchen for SoupMeal preparation. Additionally, food distribution closures resulted in significantly higher costs for produce and other ingredients. While our team was able to scale up operations to meet the growing demand, the majority of the skyrocketing costs for ingredients, packaging and labor to administer our Cancer and Chronic Illness Program far exceeded the budget.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Our established business model allowed us to adapt to the public health crisis and successfully scale up our production and delivery capabilities. The core elements of our organization have not changed since the pandemic started. What has changed is that we now deliver to the doorsteps of more than 700 clients each week, more than triple the number we served pre pandemic. Our volunteer team of drivers has increased, but we have remained conservative with increasing our staff. However, due to a funding shortfall, we have been forced to start a waiting list for our services. With growing demand and more people in need of nutritional security, our team is working diligently to secure the resources to support the people on our waiting list.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
Working closely with leading oncologists and nutritional experts, we fortified our recipes to increase their anti-inflammatory properties and added additional medicinal quality ingredients to make every SoupMeal a complete balanced meal. As our residents faced a life threatening virus, we specifically incorporated additional immune strengthening superfoods to help bolster the body’s ability to fight inflammation, infections and viruses.
Not Currently Scored
Organic Soup Kitchen cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Organic Soup Kitchen reported its largest program on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
THE ORGANIZATION SERVES MEALS TO AT LEAST 20,000 PEOPLE PER YEAR AND WORKS WITH 8 DIFFERENT NON-PROFIT AGENCIES IN SERVING WHOLESOME NUTRIENT DENSE ORGANIC FOOD TO CANCER/MEDICAL OUTPATIENTS, SENIORS, ... (More)
THE ORGANIZATION SERVES MEALS TO AT LEAST 20,000 PEOPLE PER YEAR AND WORKS WITH 8 DIFFERENT NON-PROFIT AGENCIES IN SERVING WHOLESOME NUTRIENT DENSE ORGANIC FOOD TO CANCER/MEDICAL OUTPATIENTS, SENIORS, VETERANS, AND OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING FOOD-INSECURITY IN THE GREATER SANTA BARBARA AREA. THE ORGANIZATION WORKS TO ENSURE THAT EVERY INDIVUDAL AND FAMILY HAS ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY, HEALTHY FOOD, REGARDLESS OF THEIR FINANCIAL STATUS. THE ORGANIZATION OPERATES UNDER THE PREMISE THAT A FOUNDATON OF NUTITION AND COMPASSION HAS TRANSFORMATIVE HEALING POWER. THE ORGANIZATION ACHIEVES THIS MISSION BY BEING ORGANIZATIONALLY AND FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE, ECO-CONCIOUS AND EMPLOYEE-FRIENDLY.DURING THE YEAR, THE ORGANIZATION RECEIVED DONATED SERVICES FOR DEVELOPMENT, FUNDRAISING, ADMINISTRATION, CHEFS, TRANSPORTATION, ADVERTISING AND UTILITIES. THE ORGANIZATION VALUED THESE DONATED SERVICES AT APPROXIMATELY $773,000. (Less)
Organic Soup Kitchen has earned a 99% for the Culture & Community beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 ptsConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 pts
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
Our Cancer & Chronic Illness Program provides premium nutrition and nutritional security to more than 700 low income seniors, cancer patients and chronically ill each week. We deliver to homes throughout Santa Barbara County as well as through our distribution partner agencies. We provide anti-inflammatory, immune strengthening nutrition and food security to Santa Barbara County’s most vulnerable community members. Many of our clients are housebound and isolated. They rely on our hand delivery of SoupMeals to provide them with nutrient dense prepared meals and to break the chain of isolation. More than 95% are low income, more than 90% are seniors aged 65+, and most are struggling with cancer or chronic illness. More than 65% of our clients are people of color.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Paper surveys
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our community partners
How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship with them or shifted power - over decisions, resources, rules or in other ways - to them?
All of our clients complete an initial intake form and quarterly surveys. Our delivery drivers, who often have in-person contact with our clients, also provide valuable feedback to our team. We regularly follow up by phone, delivery, and email to collect additional information. Everything we receive is entered into our proprietary client database. The data is closely analyzed and used to improve measurable outcomes including recipes, production and delivery systems. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide personalized service and work closely with our clients to ensure that their progress is closely tracked and their specific needs are being met. This system of measurement and analysis allows our organization to efficiently allocate resources, and provides our clients with superior cu
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
We primarily serve communities of color and for many of our clients Spanish is their primary language. In an effort to communicate more effectively and better understand their needs, we added a bi-lingual outreach coordinator to our team. This enables us to foster a personal relationship with our clients as well as expand our reach to underserved populations throughout Santa Barbara County.
Equity Practices - Data Available - 98/100 ptsEquity Practices - Data Available - 98/100 pts
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 98 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 10 Equity Practices. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective equity policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Equity Practices (5/7) | |
|---|---|
We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. | |
We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and/or portfolios. | |
We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization/'s programs, portfolios, and the populations served. | |
We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support. | |
We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. | |
We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured | |
We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Equity Policies and Procedures (5/7) | |
|---|---|
We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity. | |
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. | |
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization. | |
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board. | |
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. | |
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. | |
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Organic Soup Kitchen has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableMission - 10/10 ptsMission - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
The mission of Organic Soup Kitchen’s Cancer & Chronic Illness Recovery Program is to provide metabolic oncology nutrition and food security to support the health and wellness of low income seniors and other individuals with cancer or chronic illness.
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Organizations like ours can take impactful steps and offer creative solutions to ensure the sustainability of our people and planet. We have an established business model that is unique to the nonprofit community. We believe that extending this model across the United States will strengthen communities and foster collective impact. It is our vision to share our comprehensive model with like minded agencies who wish to duplicate our manufacturing and distribution processes in other regions of the country.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals - 20/20 ptsGoals - 20/20 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Provide immune strengthening nutrition & food security to the most vulnerable and medically fragile Santa Barbara County residents, primarily cancer patients, chronically ill and low income seniors.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Collaborate with local health and human services agencies aligned with our mission to broaden our reach to the most underserved and marginalized residents in the community.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: Support a shift towards more sustainable patterns of consumption that reduce our carbon footprint & strengthen the environment by engaging in responsible agriculture and compostable containers.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
Leadership Development - 15/15 ptsLeadership Development - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Organic Soup Kitchen invests in leadership development through online courses and webinars that specialize in capacity building, financial responsibility, and specific state required training for all kitchen volunteers/staff. This past summer we recently gathered together (social distancing) a core group of volunteers and board members to take their Food Handlers License test with our ED and COO leading the training to learn about the specific ramifications that are required by the state to run a commercial kitchen and how it affects everyone from the BOD to our clients.
Mobilizing for Mission - 15/15 ptsMobilizing for Mission - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Our organization believes in collective impact and collaborates with more than 20 health and human services agencies in Santa Barbara County. We work closely with oncologists, nurses, nutritionists and social workers to receive referrals as well as expand our reach. Our collaboration with these public health agencies allows us to learn and understand how best to meet the needs of our community members. Since the pandemic, we have significantly increased the number of partner distribution agencies we work with to expand our geographic reach throughout the county and provide additional seniors, cancer patients and chronically ill with nutritional security.
Adaptability Story - 30/30 ptsAdaptability Story - 30/30 pts
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
In March of 2020, Organic Soup Kitchen quickly pivoted its operation to provide an emergency response to the rapidly unfolding pandemic crisis. As the sole organization in Santa Barbara County making and delivering small batch soups of the highest quality, consistency and medicinal value, our organization was in a unique position to scale up its production and delivery services. We leaped into action providing immune strengthening nutrition and food security to residents facing a life threatening virus, stay at home order and economic uncertainty. Jobs were being lost and families and individuals were struggling to put food on the table and pay for medical treatments. Seniors were terrified to leave their homes. Our weekly home delivery service quickly became a critical resource for thousands of Santa Barbara residents. Our nutrient dense SoupMeals were especially beneficial to the health and wellness of low income seniors, cancer patients and other residents with compromised immune systems. Demand continued to skyrocket as the crisis unfolded and by the summer of 2020, the number of clients we served each week went from 300 to 600 in a matter of a few months. This volume of now serving nearly 700 clients each week has now become our new normal, and we continue to seek additional funding to support the level of demand we are now experiencing.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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