Community Cooperative
Social Services | EIN: 59-2602772 | Fort Meyers FL
Mission: The mission of Community Cooperative is to eliminate hunger and homelessness in Lee County while simultaneously inspiring and supporting sustained positive change in ... (More)
Community Cooperative is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1985, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Contact Information
http://communitycooperative.com/
3429 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Fort Meyers FL 33916
P.O. Box 2143
Fort Myers FL 33902
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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 91.45, earning it a 4-Star rating. Donors can "Give with Confidence" to this charity.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 95.00 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 89.00 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
90.6%
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
5.8%
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
3.5%
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
8.5%
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
$0.04
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
0.62 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
14.11%
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:
| |
| 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 have expressed extreme concern about the use of their personal information by charities and the desire to have this information kept confidential. The exchanging and sale of lists for telemarketing and the mass distribution of "junk mail," among other things, can be minimized if the charity assures the privacy of its donors. 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
Tracey Galloway, Chief Executive Officer
$135,000 (4.02% 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 2019
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:
Supplying money, goods or services to the poor (BMF activity code: 560)
Described in section 170(b)1)(a)(vi) of the Code (BMF activity code: 994)
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.
Community Cooperative reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
Balance Sheet
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Donations to our organization remained steady. We were able to host our largest charity event before the quarantine hit Southwest Florida, which was highly beneficial but did cancel our fall fundraiser. We also applied for the PPP loan and remained fully staffed, although all staff had to switch gears and help distribute food to keep up with the significant increase in demand. We also applied for and received CARES Act funding that helped fill food and essential services gaps.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
All programs underwent fast, unexpected modifications as we scrambled to address the skyrocketing need for food. We implemented social distancing with social and food programs and wore personal protective equipment. Meals on Wheels increased by 20% during the pandemic's height, increasing meal delivery by over 2,000 meals a month. We initially lessened face-to-face deliveries but resumed normal operations and continued to serve more meals than pre-pandemic times. The Mobile Food Pantry Program increased drastically from ten mobile sites to over twenty total in 2020. We modified the program to a drive-thru model for safety and tripled the number of households served from the previous year. All mobiles returned to walk-up operations in June 2021. We implemented social distancing and switched to to-go meals at Sam's Community Cafe and pre-packaged groceries at our Choice Market and plan to resume normal operations with these programs by the end of the year.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
At the height of the pandemic, social services and administrative staff all had to switch gears and assist our emergency food programs to keep up with the increase in individuals and families needing food assistance. We adapted by implementing social distancing, personal protective equipment, and enhanced cleaning protocols that fit each individual program. We temporarily suspended face to face meetings with social workers and utilized technology to continue providing services. We suspended Cafe Education and Food Literacy In Preschool classes for safety and plan to resume those in 2022. Through adjusting services and teamwork, we did not interrupt our essential emergency food services during the pandemic.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We continue to use enhanced cleaning protocols and offer social distancing in congregate eating and meeting spaces. We may also continue to offer virtual options for social services as needed.
Historical Ratings
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 12/23/2020 | 2019 | 91.45 | |
| 2/1/2020 | 2018 | 93.89 | |
| 12/1/2018 | 2017 | 90.68 | |
| 2/1/2018 | 2016 | 86.98 |  |
| 9/1/2017 | 2015 | 85.17 | |
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
100
out of 100
Community Cooperative is highly cost-effective, earning a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
Impact
$0.80 provides a meal to a person in need.
Do you work at Community Cooperative? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Impact & Results Report
100
of 100 points
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Rated Program
Program
Mobile Food Pantry Program
Activities
The nonprofit provides groceries to beneficiaries.
Program Type
Food Distribution
Beneficiaries Served
Families;People experiencing homelessness;Seniors
Program Geography
Community Cooperative is located in Southwest Florida. We serve all urban and rural areas of Lee County including the cities of Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs, Estero, Lehigh Acres, Pine Island, and Alva.
Time Period of Data
1/1/19 to 1/1/19
Outcomes and Cost
Outcomes: Changes in the lives of those served by a nonprofit. They can be caused by the nonprofit.
Costs: The money spent by a nonprofit and its partners and beneficiaries.
Impact: Outcome caused by a nonprofit relative to its cost.
Cost-effectiveness: A judgment as to whether the cost was a good use of resources to cause the outcome.
Outcome Metric
A meal provided to a person in need
Outcome Data Source
Ratings are based on data the nonprofit itself collects on its work. We use the most recent year with sufficient data. Typically, this data allows us to calculate direct changes in participants' lives, such as increased income.
Outcome data collected during the program. The nonprofit submitted data on the amount of food it provides.
Method for Attributing Outcomes
We don't know if the observed changes were caused by the nonprofit's program or something else happening at the same time (e.g., a participant got a raise). To determine causation, we take the outcomes we observe and subtract an estimate of the outcomes that would have happened even without the program (i.e., counterfactual outcomes).
We assume that the distribution of a meal from one nonprofit's food distribution program does not diminish the amount of food distributed by any other (neighboring) food distribution program. This “counterfactual” assumption about the amount of food distributed in the absence of the nonprofit’s food distribution program implies that the benefit of a meal to a beneficiary in need constitutes a net gain; the gain is not offset by reductions in food provided to other beneficiaries in need. We therefore set the counterfactual to zero.
Cost Data Source
After estimating the program's outcomes, we need to determine how much it cost to achieve those outcomes. All monetary costs are counted, whether they are borne by a nonprofit service deliverer or by the nonprofit’s public and private partners.
Program cost data reported by the nonprofit. Partner and beneficiary costs reported by the nonprofit or estimated by Charity Navigator.
Cost Calculation
$253,922 program costs + $111,434 partner costs + $0 beneficiary costs = $365,356 total costs
Impact and Determination
We calculate impact, defined as the change in outcomes attributable to a program divided by the cost to achieve those outcomes.
Impact Calculation
$365,356 total costs / 455,958 meals provided = roughly $0.80 provides a meal to a person in need.
Benchmark for Rating
Impact & Results scores of food distribution programs are based on the cost of a meal relative to the cost that a food-secure person incurs to buy a meal in that county. Programs receive an Impact & Results score of 100 if they are less than 75% the cost of a meal and a score of 75 if they are less than 125%. If a nonprofit reports impact but doesn't meet the benchmark for cost-effectiveness, it earns a score of 50.
Determination
Highly cost-effective
Analysis Details
Analysis conducted in 2021 by Charity Navigator using data submitted by the nonprofit, theory and evidence from scientific research studies, and public datasets.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
Community Cooperative reported its three largest programs on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
$1,929,303
Spent in most recent FY
63%
Percent of program expenses
The Community Caf & Kitchen is an innovative delivery model for feeding the hungry in our community. The caf model provides breakfast and lunch dining in a compassionate, communal atmosphere where peo ... (More)
$535,006
Spent in most recent FY
17%
Percent of program expenses
Social & Education Resource Centers partner with a myriad of agencies tasked with assisting individuals with positive, sustainable change through direct services, referral, and follow-up all under one ... (More)
$464,990
Spent in most recent FY
15%
Percent of program expenses
The Meals on Wheels Home Delivered Meal Program delivers meals to Lee County residents who are elderly, ill or disabled and are unable to shop or prepare their own food. This service provides daily nu ... (More)
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 Community Cooperative 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
The mission of Community Cooperative is to eliminate hunger and homelessness in Lee County while simultaneously inspiring and supporting sustained positive change in its clients by delivering innovative food, education and social service programs.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Community Cooperative strives to be the leader in alleviating hunger and homelessness in our community by addressing key root causes. With a dedicated team of volunteers, board of directors and staff, Community Cooperative stays committed to our core responsibility to collect and distribute resources through a strong and viable network of community partners. Community Cooperative is an exemplary steward of the resources entrusted to us, and serves our clients with compassion and integrity. Through collaboration and ongoing education, Community Cooperative supports and strengthens those whose lives have been affected by hunger and homelessness, ensuring that they have access to the resources necessary to transform their lives with dignity.
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: Decrease food insecurity by providing tailored emergency food programs for the most vulnerable populations in Lee County.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Provide direct services, case management and referrals to emergency food clients that address root causes of hunger and homelessness to achieve long-term solutions.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: Increase access to fresh food for low-income households through innovative programs like our Able Garden, Food Rescue, and Fresh Food Partnerships.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
We sent three staff members to the Meals on Wheels America conference to gain new insights on programming, network with other experts in the field and learn from other agency's success.
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
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
Our leadership team engages in many collaborations and presentations within the community. We are members of Meals on Wheels America, a national advocacy organization providing webinar training, best practices, and research opportunities. We are also members of the Lee County Homeless Coalition, a network of partners who collaborate on solutions for ending homelessness in Lee County. We utilize the Lee County Homeless Management Information System that uses a collective approach to collecting data on clients that reduces duplication of services and most efficiently uses resources to assist those experiencing hunger and homelessness. We participated in the Listen 4 Good project that trained staff on using feedback loops to increase our clients' voices in programming. We conduct surveys with clients to increase inclusion, equity, and diversity within our agency. We also actively use social media to raise awareness of our mission and programs throughout the year.
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.
Continuing the uninterrupted provision of food and services to those in need while keeping clients, volunteers, and staff safe remained the most significant challenge over the past year, and our organization continued to adapt as needed. Right now, numbers requesting assistance have decreased since the height of the pandemic in 2020; however, we still serve more individuals facing food insecurity than pre-pandemic times. We initially solved safety issues by following CDC guidelines. We modified programs by offering to-go meals, pre-packaged groceries, and drive-thru mobile pantries to limit face-to-face contact. We returned to walk-up mobile pantries in June, but since the uptick in COVID-19, we continue to provide to-go meals and pre-packaged groceries at the Cafe and Market since they are indoors and more crowded and plan to resume regular activities again before the end of the year. In addition to the need for food in 2020, we experienced many families requesting housing assistance. CARES funding helped with additional financial assistance until the end of the year, and since then, we have had to adapt to continuing assistance from other limited sources while still experiencing a significant need. Our social service staff continues to provide housing referrals and utility assistance along with case management to help clients return to self-sufficiency. To ensure safe and effective operations, we continue to monitor programs, wear personal protective equipment, implement enhanced cleaning procedures, and follow CDC recommendations through the end of the year. We will assess returning to all regular programming for 2022.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Additional Information
Unscored
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Organization Leadership
Tracey Galloway
Chief Executive Officer
Keith Banasiak
Chairman
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's engagement with the constituents it serves, a practice we term Constituent Feedback. When organizations listen to constituents, they are able to better deliver on programs and meet the needs of stakeholders. A future version of this Beacon will also assess an organization's people operations and its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) metrics.
Culture & Community Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by Community Cooperative is a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of an organization's Culture and Community by measuring its Constituent Feedback practices (see report below). Constituent Feedback data provides 100% of the basis for the initial evaluation of the Culture & Community Beacon.
Culture & Community Report
100
of 100 points
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Constituent Feedback
Full Credit
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback.
Here's how this organization is listening and learning from the people they serve:
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), 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 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 funders, Our community partners
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
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.
We recently completed construction on a new social service space based on feedback from clients, staff, and volunteers regarding the need for expansion. Increased space was required to provide adequate services and ensure privacy.
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. We've partnered with GuideStar by 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.
Charity Navigator awards full credit for this Beacon to every nonprofit that is eligible for an Encompass Rating that completes the survey, in recognition of their willingness to publicly share this information with the nonprofit and philanthropic communities. This data is not evaluated for quality at this time. Validation will be added in future iterations of this Beacon.
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. Our partnership with Feedback Labs and Guidestar by Candid, and other partners including Fund for Shared Insight, GlobalGiving, and Keystone Accountability, enables us to launch the first version of this beacon with Constituent Feedback information collected on Candid's site.
Feedback practices have been shown to support better Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion outcomes, an essential area of assessment that we intend to further expand and develop in the future. Feedback Labs has documented several studies which indicate that beyond achieving organizational goals, nonprofits that are attentive and responsive to concerns and ideas raised by beneficiaries establish stronger relationships with the people they serve, promote greater equity, and empower constituents in ways that can help to ensure better long-term outcomes. You can find resources to help nonprofits improve their feedback practices here.
Nonprofit Comment
Before publishing, we ask every nonprofit we can to review our work, offer corrections and provide a comment.
This nonprofit did not provide a comment