Jewish Family Services of St. Louis
Giving Basket disabled: not listed with the IRSChildren's and Family Services | EIN: 43-0790330 | St. Louis MO
Mission: For generations, Jewish Family & Children's Service of St. Louis (JF&CS) has offered compassionate support and practical solutions to help people in our community navigate life's challenges. JF&CS and its licensed professional staff assist the elderly, protect children at risk, provide food and services for the needy, resolve family problems and enhance Jewish connections.
Jewish Family Services of St. Louis is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1964, and donations are tax-deductible. Note: This organization was not on the most recent list of organizations provided by the IRS, the Business Master File (BMF). It will be removed from our website if it is not listed in the BMF for three consecutive months.
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Important note on the timeliness of ratings
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Financial and Accountability & Transparency score for Jewish Family Services of St. Louis is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations.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.
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Star Rating System by Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator evaluates a nonprofit organization’s financial health including measures of stability, efficiency and sustainability. We also track accountability and transparency policies to ensure the good governance and integrity of the organization.
Exceptional
This charity's score is 92.48, earning it a 4-Star rating. Donors can "Give with Confidence" to this charity.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 89.37 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 100.00 View details
This score represents Form 990 data from 2019, the latest year published by the IRS.
View this organization’s historical ratings.
Star Rated Report
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Program Expense Ratio
82.8%
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. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Administrative Expenses
10.3%
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Expenses
6.8%
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
2.8%
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency
$0.09
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Working Capital Ratio
1.69 years
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Growth
-0.93%
We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
Governance
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
| Governance: | |
|---|---|
| Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) | |
| No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
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| Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
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| Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) | |
| Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) | |
| Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) | |
| Compensates Board ... (More) |
Policies
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Policies: | |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest ... (More) | |
| Whistleblower ... (More) | |
| Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) | |
| CEO Compensation Process ... (More) | |
| Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) |
Transparency
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Transparency: | |
|---|---|
| CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) | |
| Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Audited Financial Statements on Website ... (More) | |
| Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) |
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
L. Louis Albert, Former Chief Executive Officer
$228,538 (4.48% of Total Expenses)
Miriam Seidenfeld, Chief Executive Officer
$165,789 (3.25% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2018
Business Master File Data
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:
Other school related activities (BMF activity code: 059)
Other housing activities (BMF activity code: 399)
Other religious activities (BMF activity code: 029)
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)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
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 view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Pandemic Response
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. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Jewish Family Services of St. Louis reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
JFS received a PPP loan and did not lay-off any staff due to the pandemic. We continue to fill open positions. Although JFS had the same financial concerns that all nonprofits had when the virus began, we surpassed our fundraising goal by year-end. Although we had to cancel our in-person fundraising event, JFS wrote a case for support to coordinate messaging, further developed our Raiser’s Edge donor database, created dashboards to monitor fundraising outcomes, and strategically implemented best fundraising practices including personalized thank you letters and regular donor updates. These efforts and others led to increased fundraising outcomes. JFS surpassed our 2020 fundraising goal and increased the number of new individual, foundation and corporate donors.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
JFS experienced increased requests for services across most programs in 2020. JFS continued to provide all programs during the pandemic by adapting all service provision methods to meet recommended health guidelines and provide a safe environment for all clients, staff and volunteers.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
All clinical services (diagnostic testing, counseling and psychiatry) were adapted to HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms. The Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry transitioned from a Client-Choice pantry to operate using a drive-through food distribution model to meet increased demand and keep clients, staff and volunteers safe. JFS added home food delivery for more than 120 individuals/couples who had limited financial resources and no social supports to bring them food. All Child Abuse Prevention Program presentations were adapted to virtual presentations and provided on a variety of education platforms. Senior Service home assessments and case management services are being conducted through Zoom for Healthcare or by telephone.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
Multiple program changes and processes were implemented during the pandemic that will continue after the pandemic. Electronic registration was developed during the pandemic and is now available for all JFS programs, thus providing another registration option for new clients. Clinical telehealth services will remain an option, along with in-person counseling sessions, so we can provide access to community members who are not able to visit our office. Our food pantry guests like that the drive-through food pick-up model saves them time - so we will continue to offer this option. And changing some in-home visits to phone call check-ins with our older adults increased the total number of client contacts and increased client outcomes.
Historical Ratings
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 4/1/2022 | 2019 | 92.48 | |
| 5/1/2020 | 2018 | 94.20 | |
| 4/1/2019 | 2017 | 91.70 | |
| 6/1/2018 | 2016 | 90.59 | |
| 5/1/2017 | 2015 | 92.58 | |
| 6/1/2016 | 2014 | 94.90 | |
| Rating Version: 2.0 | |||
| 4/1/2016 | 2014 | 89.62 |  |
| 12/1/2015 | 2014 | 88.53 | |
This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. | |||
| 7/1/2015 | 2013 | 85.06 | |
| 6/1/2014 | 2012 | 85.82 | |
Previous: Finance & Accountability / Next: Leadership & Adaptability
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
Jewish Family Services of St. Louis cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating 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.
Do you work at Jewish Family Services of St. Louis? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
Jewish Family Services of St. Louis reported its three largest programs on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
$1,464,201
Spent in most recent FY
36%
Percent of program expenses
Clinical Services
$1,016,350
Spent in most recent FY
25%
Percent of program expenses
Food Pantry
$913,867
Spent in most recent FY
22%
Percent of program expenses
Homemaker/In-home Assistance Program
Previous: Impact & Results / Next: Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
This score 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.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by Jewish Family Services of St. Louis is a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of the organization's Leadership & Adaptability through the nonprofit organization submitting a survey response directly to Charity Navigator.
Leadership & Adaptability Report
100
of 100 points
Mission
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s mission
Inspired by Jewish tradition to make the world a better place, JFS helps and supports people in need to meet their challenges.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
All people in the greater St. Louis area will be healthy and productive.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Strategic Goals
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Continue to provide the highest quality services to those in need by broadening JFS' reach to older adults and children.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Incorporate technological advances and delivery systems into all aspects of the organization.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Three: Establish updated protocol for review of current programs taking into account impact, future needs, and fiscal sustainability; and a more robust rubric for review and assessment of new opportunities.
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
JFS started to budget for professional leadership development in 2018 and has increased the dollar amount allocated each year since. In 2021, additional funds were allocated to specifically develop board and staff leadership to be able to address strategic diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. With the support of the JFS Board of Directors, in 2019-2020 our CEO and CPO completed the intensive six-month United Way program, “Building a Framework for Advancing Racial Equity.” In September 2020, the board of directors participated in a racial equity training session, led by Dr. Kira Banks. In 2021, the CEO and Community Programs Director participated in the next six-month United Way DEI workshop with Dr. Banks in order to continue advancing JFS racial equity theories of change developed in the first workshop. Subsequently, a JFS staff DEI task force has been established and work time allocated for planning meetings and implementation efforts.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Mobilizing for Mission
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Raising Awareness
Community Building
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
JFS helped establish AgeWell St. Louis, a collaborative of organizations that provide centralized care management and a referral service for older adults. All AgeWell partner organizations share the common goals of ensuring that older adults continue to live meaningful lives in a safe home of their choosing, and stay connected to their communities. JFS also partners with BJH to provide intensive case management services to prevent ER visits and hospital readmissions. The JFS CEO sits on the steering committee of the Children's Services Coalition, a membership organization of youth-serving agencies. Senior staff participate in collaborative community associations in the fields of mental health, food security, senior services and child abuse prevention. JFS rebranded and refreshed our communications/social media plan in 2020 to better connect prospective clients to needed services, to further engage community members to help advance the JFS mission, and to share our expertise.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Story of Adaptability
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
The Board of Directors convened an Emergency Response Task Force in March 2020, comprised of the Board President, President-Elect, Treasurer, VP of HR, CEO, CPO, CFO, and an MD, a technology expert, and two lawyers. The task Force met regularly to strategize programs, operations, health/safety, risk-management, financial planning, communications, and HR. JFS experienced increased requests for services across most programs this past year. With prior donor support, JFS had a strong existing foundation to meet the increasing basic safety net needs and communicated regularly with existing and new donors throughout the pandemic. JFS adapted all service provision methods to meet health guidelines and provide a safe environment for all 48,000 clients, staff and volunteers. JFS has had no workplace-transmitted virus cases. Clinical services were adapted to HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms and continue to be delivered virtually. All CAPP child abuse prevention education presentations were also successfully adapted to a variety of virtual education platforms. The Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry transitioned from a Client-Choice pantry to a drive-through food distribution model to meet increased demand and keep clients, staff and volunteers safe. Visitors to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry increased by 30%, from 15,100 individuals in 2019 to 21,500 individuals in 2020. JFS added home food delivery for more than 120 individuals and couples who had limited financial resources and no social supports to bring them food. After losing all but 14 of more than 200 food pantry volunteers immediately after the initial stay-at-home order was issued in March 2020, our volunteer coordinator recruited/on-boarded more than 300 new pantry volunteers. JFS utilized existing staff and systems to distribute an additional $96,000 in financial assistance to pay rent, mortgages and utility bills for those impacted by COVID-19.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Additional Information
Unscored
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Organization Leadership
Miriam Seidenfeld
Chief Executive Officer
Brian Braunstein
President
Previous: Leadership & Adaptability
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. Learn more about how and why we rate Culture & Community.
Culture & Community Score
Not Currently Scored
Jewish Family Services of St. Louis is currently not eligible for a Culture & Community score because we have not received its Constituent Feedback or Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion data. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the How We Listen and Equity Practices sections of their Candid profile.
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.
Culture & Community Report
Unscored
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
This organization has not provided information regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices it is presently implementing. As such, the organization has not earned a score on this metric. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Methodology
We are utilizing data collected by Candid to document and assess the DEI practices implemented by the organization. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the Equity Strategies section of their Candid profiles to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Constituent Feedback
Constituent Feedback and Listening Practice data are not available for this organization. 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.
Methodology
We've partnered with Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Below you can find more information about the metrics we currently evaluate in this beacon and their relevance to nonprofit performance.
Constituent Feedback
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
