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Boynton Beach FL | IRS ruling year: 1990 | EIN: 65-0169781
Organization Mission
The mission of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, founded in 1989, is to improve the quality of life in our community by promoting and achieving literacy. ... (More)
The mission of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, founded in 1989, is to improve the quality of life in our community by promoting and achieving literacy. Our goal is to ensure that every child and every adult in Palm Beach County becomes a reader. Through extensive outreach and collaboration with a network of community partners, the Literacy Coalition strives to ensure that individuals who need to improve their literacy skills receive the help they need. (Less)
Good
This charity's score is 82%, earning it a Three-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, weighted as follows: 32% Accountability & Finance, 50% Impact & Results, 7% 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.
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 6/1/2022 | 2021 | 97.10 |  |
Score
Most Recent Fiscal Year:
FY 2022
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
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Full Credit
Partial Credit
No CreditMajority Independent Board Members - 100% independent members10 out of 10 points Majority Independent Board Members - 100% independent members10 out of 10 points
Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. We check to see if at least 50% of board members are indentified as independent on their tax form.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Board Size - 33 independent members10 out of 10 points Independent Board Size - 33 independent members10 out of 10 points
Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. For most organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least three board members. For large, donor-funded organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least five independent board members
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - Yes20 out of 20 points Independent Audit or Financial Review - Yes20 out of 20 points
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 |
| $2 million or higher and 40% or higher donor support | Expected to complete an audit and have an audit oversight committee |
| $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
Material Diversion of Assets - None20 out of 20 points Material Diversion of Assets - None20 out of 20 points
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 — also can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We review the charity's most recent IRS Form 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditWebsite Listed on Tax Form - Listed5 out of 5 points Website Listed on Tax Form - Listed5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the IRS 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
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed5 out of 5 points Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the IRS 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
Whistleblower Policy - Listed5 out of 5 points Whistleblower Policy - Listed5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the IRS 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
Document Retention and Destruction - Listed5 out of 5 points Document Retention and Destruction - Listed5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the IRS 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
Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes5 out of 5 points Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the IRS 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
Tax Form Distributed to Board Before Filing - Listed5 out of 5 points Tax Form Distributed to Board Before Filing - Listed5 out of 5 points
Providing copies of the IRS Form 990 to the governing body prior to filing is considered a best practice, as it allows for thorough review by the individuals charged with overseeing the organization. The Form 990 asks the charity to disclose whether or not it has followed this best practice.
Loans to/from Officers - Listed5 out of 5 points Loans to/from Officers - Listed5 out of 5 points
Making loans to related parties, such as key officers, staff, or Board members, is not standard practice in the sector as it diverts the charity's funds away from its charitable mission and can lead to real and perceived conflict-of-interest problems.
The IRS requires charities to disclose on their Form 990 any loans to or from current and former officers, directors, trustees, key employees, and other "disqualified persons." Some state laws go so far as to prohibit loans to board members and officers.
Although employees and trustees are permitted to make loans to charities, this practice can also result in real and/or perceived conflict of interest problems for the charity. Furthermore, it is problematic because it indicates that the organization is not financially secure. Our analysts check to see if any loans have been made.
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditTax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Listed5 out of 5 points Tax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Listed5 out of 5 points
For almost all charities, we check the charity's IRS Form 990 to see if it discloses that the Form 990 is available on the charity's website. As with the audited financial statement, donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditLiabilities to Assets: Ratio - 2.04%25 out of 25 points Liabilities to Assets: Ratio - 2.04%25 out of 25 points
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent IRS Form 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization's solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense: Ratio - 90.07%25 out of 25 points Program Expense: Ratio - 90.07%25 out of 25 points
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three IRS Forms 990). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency: Ratio - $0.0525 out of 25 points Fundraising Efficiency: Ratio - $0.0525 out of 25 points
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 - 0.87 years25 out of 25 points Working Capital: Ratio - 0.87 years25 out of 25 points
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 IRS Form 990. 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
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
Salary data is coming soon.
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
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 (Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County) or EIN (650169781) in the 'Search Term' field.
Score
This beacon estimates the actual impact a charity has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
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Program
Building Better Readers
Activities
The nonprofit provides books and reading support to toddlers and preschoolers.
Program Type
Shared Book Reading
Beneficiaries Served
(No data collected)
Program Geography
South
Time Period of Data
7/1/22 to 6/30/23
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
Years a child is regularly read to by a cargiver or parent
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.
The nonprofit submitted data on how how many children it supported and the percent who were read to five or more days a week at the end of the program.
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 estimate the amount of years a child was regularly read to as a results of the the nonprofit's work by comparing its reported figures to the amount the child would have been read to without the nonprofit's help (the “counterfactual”). Without the nonprofit, some caregivers would still regularly read to their child. These counterfactual successes must be netted out of the successes we observe. Otherwise, we would be attributing a change (benefits received) to the nonprofit when it would have happened anyway. Few nonprofits estimate the counterfactual themselves, so we construct our own counterfactual estimate based on research and educated assumptions.
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
$253,686 program costs + $0 partner costs + $0 beneficiary costs = $253,686 total costs
We calculate impact, defined as the change in outcomes attributable to a program divided by the cost to achieve those outcomes.
Impact Calculation
$253,686 total costs / 452 years of shared reading = roughly $560 provides a child a year of shared reading with a parent or caregiver. [2021 USD]
Benchmark for Rating
Impact & Results scores of a shared book programs are based on the return of benefits secured per dollar spent. Programs receive an Impact & Results score of 100 if every dollar spent results in an improvement in shared book reading with a parent or cargiver at a cost well below the benchmark. Programs receive an Impact & Results score of 80 if every dollar spent results in an improvement in shared book reading with a parent or cargiver at a cost in line with the benchmark. Programs receive a 65 if they are found to have no improvement in shared book reading or the cost is well above the benchmark.
Determination
Not cost-effective
Score
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
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Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditConstituent Feedback - Data Available100/100 points Constituent Feedback - Data Available100/100 points
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. The methodology leveraged for Constituent Feedback is based on The Core Principles of Constituent Feedback, which describes listening and responding well to feedback. Charity Navigator participates in a consortium with other feedback experts and leading nonprofit infrastructure platforms to drive Constituent Feedback's advancement, promotion, and data collection.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
Throughout Palm Beach County, we help people of all ages, races and ethnicities develop good reading skills so that they can lead productive lives. We help young children from low-income families learn to love books and develop essential school readiness skills. We tutor elementary school age children from disadvantaged backgrounds so that they can read on grade level and experience academic success. We coach and mentor high school students to graduate on time and transition to work or higher education. We teach English and reading to adults whose limited literacy skills keep them in low-wage jobs so that they can be promoted and gain financial stability.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Paper surveys
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To 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?
Asking for feedback from the people we serve has truly changed our relationship with them as it empowers them to make ideas that can be implemented to enhance the program. They know that their feedback makes a difference in the literacy services that we provide, and they are happy to share their suggestions with us.
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, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
After feedback from adult students in our Village Readers program, the advanced level class expressed interest in more GED related instruction which prompted the program manager to use more GED materials in her lessons. Several parents expressed interest in having more information about resolving conflicts and improving communication with their children which resulted in a three-workshop series on Active Parenting provided by the Hanley Foundation.
Equity Practices - Data Available89/100 points Equity Practices - Data Available89/100 points
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 89 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 9 Equity Practices.
This assessment demonstrates the importance of implementing practices that contribute positively to an organization's overall culture, both internally and with respect to community engagement. Furthermore, equity centered frameworks and similar approaches have drawn much attention from donors, experts, and sector leaders who underscore its value to the nonprofit's overall health and capacity for mission success. Currently, the Equity Strategies Checklist assessment consists of practices and policies that promote racial equity in their operations and programs (per the Equity Strategies checklist administered by Candid). As we refine our DEI assessment, Charity Navigator partners with DEI consultants and field experts to broaden and deepen this work.
| 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 (5/7) | |
We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity. | |
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. | |
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization. | |
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board. | |
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. | |
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. | |
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Score
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.
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Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditMission 10/10 points Mission 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
Note: The organization did not respond to this question.
Vision 10/10 points Vision 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
The vision of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County is that every child and every adult in our
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals 20/20 points Goals 20/20 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Identify and implement programs that accomplish the mission by reviewing existing programs, determining which programs should be expanded, maintained or changed, and enlisting literacy best practices.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Provide sufficient organizational resources to achieve the mission by providing financial stability and enhancing public image.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Leadership Development 15/15 points Leadership Development 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
Our organization continues to invest in leadership development even in a pandemic. During this past year, a member of our senior leadership team is participating in the Leadership Palm Beach County’s Engage program for local leaders. In addition, our organization has invested in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion trainings and conferences such as the Blue Ridge Institute and the Racial Equity Institute. In addition, our organization continues to invest in technology training, which include virtual service delivery programs and cybersecurity.
Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
As a named Coalition, the Literacy Coalition brings together literacy providers and education-based organizations to collaborate and work together. We provide resources to adult literacy providers and children's literacy partners. We even recruit and train volunteers to serve within these groups including the school district, libraries and other community-based organizations. We also recruit, train and help provide funding for Literacy AmeriCorps members to serve within these groups as graduation coaches, reading tutors and mentors. We have approximately 160 partners and we complement others providing similar services, but do not have direct duplication overlap as our programs are unique, free and serve specific areas of need.
Adaptability Story 30/30 points Adaptability Story 30/30 points
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
When the pandemic closed many doors for learning and programs shut down in March 2020, the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County faced the challenge of continuing to provide quality programs to our community to promote and achieve literacy. How could this be done if we are unable to meet in person? Our reach in the community is significant, so working closely with our community partners has proven to be the key of our success during the pandemic. Perhaps the biggest challenge that we faced is how to mitigate learning loss, which would inevitably increase for our low-income families who would benefit from our services. The pandemic also served to magnify disparities between different races and income groups. We were determined to adapt and innovate to continue to meet the needs of our community when they needed us most. With 11 programs and 5 program initiatives, we typically serve approximately 30,000 in our community. Adapting to provide virtual service delivery allowed the Literacy Coalition to further our reach into the community to those who needed it the most during the pandemic. We were able to increase digital literacy skills for our staff and our volunteers in order to use new technology to continue to provide quality services to our students. During our 2020-2021 fiscal year, we served over 46,000 individuals through our programs. This is a huge increase from the number served in years past partly due to our innovation to deliver programs virtually and to share our educational resources and programs online with a greater audience.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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