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P.O. Box 28839
Raleigh NC 27611
Raleigh NC | IRS ruling year: 2013 | EIN: 45-4671349
ZOE EMPOWERS IS A RELIGIOUSLY NON-RESTRICTIVE CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION WITH A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO HELPING ORPHANS, FOCUSING ON EMPOWERING ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILD ... (More)
ZOE EMPOWERS IS A RELIGIOUSLY NON-RESTRICTIVE CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION WITH A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO HELPING ORPHANS, FOCUSING ON EMPOWERING ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR THEMSELVES. ZOE EMPOWERS UTILIZES A COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL FOR EMPOWERMENT THAT WAS DEVELOPED IN AFRICA. THE PROGRAM IS A DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH WHERE ORPHANED AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IDENTIFY AND OVERCOME THE OBSTACLES PREVENTING THEM FROM LIVING LIFE IN ALL ITS FULLNESS. THROUGH ZOE, ORPHANS ACCESS THE KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO IMPROVE THER WELL-BEING AND OVERCOME POVERTY. (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 99%, 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 As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Zoe Empowers is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations.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.
Zoe Empowers 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.
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Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not ApplicableBoard Composition - 16/16 - 25/25 ptsBoard Composition - 16/16 - 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 - Audited - 20/20 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - Audited - 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 - Listed - 3/3 ptsConflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 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 - Listed - 3/3 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Listed - 3/3 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 - Listed - 3/3 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Listed - 3/3 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 - 0.52% - 15/15 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 0.52% - 15/15 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 - 84.51% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 84.51% - 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 (Zoe Empowers) or EIN (454671349) 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.
Zoe Empowers reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Zoe Empowers begins two classes of orphaned and vulnerable children in our empowerment program per year and we find donors to partner with those empowerment groups. Because of the lockdowns in the countries in which we operate during the pandemic, we were unable to start a second class of empowerment groups. This led to a reduction in revenue that Zoe Empowers will feel for three years as the donors that partner with those groups make a three year financial commitment. Without the 2020 second class, we do not have those donors and without the donors, we do not have their financial donations. That financial hit should be washed out of the program by 2023.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
In every country in which we operate, during the last couple of years there have been restrictions on travel and restriction on group sizes. We operate a three year empowerment program where our in country staff travels to the orphaned and vulnerable children with whom we work and provide training and start-up capital and work with the groups on business training etc. That training usually occurs in large groups of from 20 to 100 young people at a time. During the pandemic, on multiple occasions and for long periods of time we were either not allowed to travel or not allowed to gather or both.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
The staff, once they were able to travel to work with the orphaned youth, were still under the restrictions for group size gatherings. In most of the countries, the group size restriction was no more than 10 people in a group. So the staff adjusted its training regimen to train in smaller groups. This required hiring more staff as that required more training sessions and more travel. This drove up the cost of implementing our program.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We found that the smaller group training was more effective and we plan to keep that for certain parts of the training. Other parts will still be done in larger group sessions.
Not Currently Scored
Zoe Empowers 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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Zoe Empowers reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
RWANDA THREE YEAR EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM - CHILDREN FROM RWANDA START THE PROGRAM IN DESPERATE PROVERTY AND GRADUATE IN THREE YEARS TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR SIBLINGS. THE PROGRAM HAS AN 85-90% GRA ... (More)
RWANDA THREE YEAR EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM - CHILDREN FROM RWANDA START THE PROGRAM IN DESPERATE PROVERTY AND GRADUATE IN THREE YEARS TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR SIBLINGS. THE PROGRAM HAS AN 85-90% GRADUATION RATE PER A UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS STUDY. THOSE CHILDREN WHO ARE NOT SELF-SUFFICIENT AT THE END OF THE THREE YEARS CONTINUE TO BE HELPED BY OTHER CHILDREN IN THEIR GROUP, BUT ARE NO LONGER HELPED WITH ZOE FUNDS. RWANDA'S EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM SERVED 13,425 CHILDREN, WITH APPROXIMATELY 4,058 GRADUATING FROM THE PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM HAD ONE PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND 11 SOCIAL WORKERS. THE RWANDA GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO PROVIDE LAND FOR FARMING AS THEY RECOGNIZE THE GREAT WORK OF ZOE ALLEVIATING THE ORPHAN PROBLEM IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
KENYA THREE YEAR EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM - CHILDREN FROM KENYA START THE PROGRAM IN DESPERATE POVERTY AND GRADUATE IN THREE YEARS TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR SIBLINGS. THE PROGRAM HAS AN 85-90% GRADUA ... (More)
KENYA THREE YEAR EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM - CHILDREN FROM KENYA START THE PROGRAM IN DESPERATE POVERTY AND GRADUATE IN THREE YEARS TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR SIBLINGS. THE PROGRAM HAS AN 85-90% GRADUATION RATE PER A UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS STUDY. THOSE CHILDRE (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
ZIMBABWE THREE YEAR EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM - CHILDREN FROM ZIMBABWE START THE PROGRAM IN DESPERATE POVERTY AND GRADUATE IN THREE YEARS TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR SIBLINGS. THE PROGRAM HAS AN 85-90% ... (More)
ZIMBABWE THREE YEAR EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM - CHILDREN FROM ZIMBABWE START THE PROGRAM IN DESPERATE POVERTY AND GRADUATE IN THREE YEARS TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR SIBLINGS. THE PROGRAM HAS AN 85-90% GRADUATION RATE PER A UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS STUDY. THOSE C (Less)
Zoe Empowers has earned a 88% 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.
We serve orphaned children and vulnerable youth in sub Sahara Africa and in two locations in India.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
SMS text surveys, Paper surveys, Case management notes
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, 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 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 funders, 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?
Zoe Empowers operates differently for any other NGO of which we are aware. We put the children first and allow them to lead their own journey out of poverty. We empower them to make decisions, to determine who they want to be and what job or business they want to pursue. By seeking their feedback and acting on that feedback it further solidifies the power dynamic to be the youth first and the staff as supporting.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
We don't have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
During the Pandemic, Our staff was prevented from accessing the people we serve because of the lockdowns. When the lockdowns began to lift, the size of the groups that could meet was still very small. Zoe had traditionally done its training in large groups. The children devised a plan for just the youth heads of household to receive the training and then to provide that same training to the members o their child headed household. That program allowed the program to continue through the pandemic and we still use it today for some types of training. This was an idea that came from the youth in Kenya and it has now been deployed in all the Zoe Empowers countries.
Equity Practices - Data Available - 83/100 ptsEquity Practices - Data Available - 83/100 pts
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 83 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 4 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 (2/7) | |
|---|---|
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 (2/7) | |
|---|---|
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. | |
Zoe Empowers 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
We empower orphaned children and vulnerable youth to overcome life threatening poverty, move beyond charity and experience the fullness of life. We accomplish this through a peer-led program in which participants help one another become safe and healthy, skilled for long-term success, and able to lead meaningful lives within a supportive community.
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Zoe Empowers envisions a world where every child is living within a supportive family and community structure and able to be safe and healthy, skilled for long-term success, and able to lead a meaningful life.
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: Expand the number of orphaned children and vulnerable youth within our existing programs by 30% per year every year for the next decade.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Expand into 5 new countries within the next 5 years with each new country starting with at least 10 empowerment groups (approximately 900 total orphaned children) and grow thereafter 30% each year.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: Have other NGOs, local governments and international government agencies such as USAID and the World Bank recognize and adopt our empowerment model for addressing the crisis of orphaned children.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Leadership Development - 15/15 ptsLeadership Development - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Zoe Empowers, as part of its annual Board of Directors retreat provides training to its staff and Board members on a variety of areas, including protection from pfishing scams, two factor authentication, cyber security, fundraising skills and presentation skills both over Zoom and in person.
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
Both Board members and Staff actively engage other foundations and NGO's to share best practices and pursue partnerships to attack the global orphaned child crises. This takes the form of one to one personal outreach and marketing efforts through e mail and social media. We also engage in collaboration efforts such as the Skoll World Forum and initiatives from USAID's Children in Adversity whereby we meet virtually and, hopefully in the future, in person to share best practices. The CEO, Board Chair and our COO speak regularly to groups about the effectiveness of empowerment over endless aid.
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.
The global pandemic affected Zoe in two very different and equally impactful ways. Zoe Empowers has two arms. The US based arm is a fundraising organization that raises money to support the global network of organization that are implementing the empowerment model in 6 African countries and two locations in India. The pandemic initially severely impacted our fundraising efforts causing us to downsize our office footprint and conserve resources. We also applied for and received government loans so we would not have to reduce staff. The impact in the program countries was even more severe. Our program is a time bound empowerment program where over three years we train these young people to care for themselves by teaching them to be safe and healthy, skilled for long term success and help them lead meaningful lives. To accomplish this, the staff needs to be able to organize training, provide start up grants, teach life skills and business skills and horticultural and farming skills and teach child rights, etc. In every country in which we operate, the pandemic caused lockdowns that prevented our staff from reaching the young people to do the training. Once the restrictions began to be lifted, there were still restrictions on how many people could gather. We evolved the program to meet in smaller groups to stay below the maximum group size and we focused more on training the oldest child in the child-led household and equipping them to train the other members of their household. We also hired more social workers since we had many more times the number of training sessions to perform. The young people lost many of their businesses because of the lockdowns so we helped them pivot to other businesses that were less impacted by the lockdowns such as food delivery services for people in the village.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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