Greer Relief & Resources Agency
Greer Relief & Resources Agency
URL not available
202 VICTORIA ST
Greer SC 29651-3436
Greer SC | IRS ruling year: 1963 | EIN: 57-0370331
PROVIDE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
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202 VICTORIA ST
Greer SC 29651-3436
Greer SC | IRS ruling year: 1963 | EIN: 57-0370331
PROVIDE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
Great
This charity's score is 94%, 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 As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Greer Relief & Resources Agency is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations.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.
Greer Relief & Resources Agency has earned a 94% 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 2019, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
Learn more
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. 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
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2019
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:
Supplying money, goods or services to the poor (BMF activity code: 560)
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 (Greer Relief & Resources Agency) or EIN (570370331) 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.
Greer Relief & Resources Agency reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
Grants Received
Grants Sent
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
When COVID affected our state in March 2020, many of our programs were stressed. The Stability program experienced a dramatic increased need for food and financial assistance. Financial assistance surged 250% and food assistance rose 95%. The year was extraordinary with programs ending at a 30% Year Over Year (YOY) increase in number of neighbors assisted and a 413% YOY increase in financial assistance distributed. Greer Relief has greatly stretched our bandwidth and organizational capacity, challenging our team to not only deal with the crisis of others, which we are trained to do, but to also deal personally with the same crisis a home.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
COVID has challenged program delivery both positively and negatively. When COVID first hit we had a strong nimble quick response to the rapidly changing needs of the community. However, as the weeks turned into months the stress and pressure of uncertainty weighed heavy taking a toll on the (remaining) team. Dealing with the stress of the pandemic issues both at home and at work has been challenging and resulted in a struggle to keep a several key positions filled. We have a small team and when one member is out the it is felt by all. There were times when we had as many as three open positions at the same time. Two years later, we are still not fully staffed.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Our Stability process quickly went virtual when COVID was first announced, at first it was quiet, it didn't take long for our email folder to fill. We were busy answering the growing need for assistance. We asked for neighbors to first call to be clear on what they need to bring, our hours, and the COVID policy for in-person assistance. In the summer of 2020, Greer Relief received significant resources from the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority to assist neighbors in need with COVID related emergency assistance. This funding allowed Greer Relief to step up and assist neighbors beyond our designated service area with more than our typical partial one month assistance. Funding was quickly exhausted within the first quarter of 2022. Our Empowerment program took a break till late Summer 2020 then we went virtual. We are now Zoom experts and have had many of our neighbors learning from their home, car, and the parking lot of the library (to use the free WIFI).
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We have kept the Stability application online, but have returned to in-person application. We are keeping the Zoom account and keeping virtual classes as an option, but not the only option.
Not Currently Scored
Greer Relief & Resources Agency 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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Greer Relief & Resources Agency reported its largest program on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN ECONOMIC DISTRESS IN THE FORM OF FOOD, SHELTER, CLOTHING, UTILITIES, PRESCRIPTIONS AND HEAT.
Greer Relief & Resources Agency 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
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. However, it did not respond to one or more survey questions, and therefore is not eligible for a score on this metric. (View our beacon methodology.) 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.
They are our neighbors from near-by communities who are economically-disadvantaged, either by means of disability, unemployment, and low-paying jobs.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Case management notes, Suggestion box/email
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 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?
Our staff
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, It is difficult to get honest feedback from our clients
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
Note: The organization did not respond to this question.
100% of beacon score
This organization's score of 88 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 6 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 (4/7) | |
---|---|
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. |
Greer Relief & Resources Agency 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
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
Greer Relief is a nonprofit human service organization where every neighbor matters. Our mission statement is to provide services to eliminate poverty and help neighbors overcome barriers for success. We are dedicated to providing stability & empowerment to our neighbors. Greer Relief has been serving the community over 85 years by keeping food on the table and families in their homes. Neighbors in need have difficulty getting or retaining a job, furthering their education, or nurturing their children. After years of just answering the crisis, but could not change the behaviors; then we expanded the mission to offer a next step, empowerment program. We seek to reflect the diversity of the community and are committed to partnerships that support healthy lifestyles and families. Our long term goal is to help our neighbors identify and treat/correct/improve barriers, not just the immediate need, leading to long-lasting success.
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
To transform neighbors in need to neighbors who thrive.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Rebranding
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Two: Services Expansion
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
Goal Three: Relocating Expansion
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
After staff are settled into their role at Greer Relief we put them through the Leadership Development program at the Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of the program is to provide highly motivated leaders a professional development program to enriching their lives and cultivate future leaders for the community. Leadership Greer is a 9-month commitment beginning in September with orientation and an overnight retreat and ending with graduation in May. Topics covered during the year include: History of Greer, Public Safety, Human Services, Local Government, Economic Development, Education, Quality of Life, Media, and State Government. They are also required to complete a unique class project, raising funding and providing the service, before graduating in May. Our Neighbor Advocate will be graduating in May 2022 from Leadership Greer. She is also the first recipient of the Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship. This is just one of many leadership development investments.
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Policy Advocacy
Greer Relief has a robust social media campaign that not only promotes events within the organization but also raises awareness of other organizations and campaigns close to our mission. We celebrate successes, champion the effort of our mission to end poverty, and rally around failures to learn what we can do better.
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
COVID-19 presented new challenges and exacerbated old ones. For neighbors who were already struggling, it caused deeper stress and financial problems. For others, the pandemic threw them into a rapid, unexpected crisis. Though we're adept at doing a lot with a little, 2020 took a toll on our small team and made the need for greater capacity clear. Two specific needs are most evident. These include the need to expand next step services and increase partnerships, and the ability to have a full-time Volunteer Coordinator. With the addition of a Community Engagement Coordinator (CEC), Greer Relief will make connections with new community partners and strengthen current connections. In the first year, the CEC will host a meeting with the J. Verne Smith Center's onsite partners (DSS, DHEC, SC Works, and Greer Free Medical) and will participate in community outreach events to make new connections. The CEC will continue to improve RENEW. In the first year, this position will add new volunteer instructors, increase the number of classes available, and maintain a robust and diverse calendar of RENEW class options. The full-time Volunteer Coordinator will expand to add the following in the first year: conduct at least two Volunteer Orientations each month to recruit new volunteers, update the volunteer policies and procedures, and become the point of contact for all in-kind donations.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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