Raising A Reader
Raising A Reader
489 VALLEY WAY
Milpitas CA 95035-4105
Milpitas CA | IRS ruling year: 2014 | EIN: 94-3390149
Mission not available
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489 VALLEY WAY
Milpitas CA 95035-4105
Milpitas CA | IRS ruling year: 2014 | EIN: 94-3390149
Mission not available
Great
This charity's score is 100%, 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 As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Raising A Reader is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations.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.
Raising A Reader 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.
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
No Data Available
Revenue and expense data is not available 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.
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:
509(a)(3) Type I (BMF foundation code: 21)
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 (Raising A Reader) or EIN (943390149) 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.
Raising A Reader reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
Grants Received
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
We applied and received the PPP loan and were able to employ a full staff.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
Due to social distancing, our Classic Red Book Bag Rotation Program was difficult for some of our Affiliates to implement as books are rotated weekly. As a result, we launched two new programs that helped families build at home libraries and establish shared reading routines, Super Summer Learning Adventures and Family Shared Reading. We also partnered with WorldReader and Guardians Collective to provide virtual shared reading opportunities. Rather than in person training across 36 states, we provided virtual trainings and launched virtual monthly Town Halls to provide ongoing support to our 285 Affiliates that manage Raising A Reader programming at nearly 3,000 implementation sites.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
We developed and launched two new programs that helped families build at home libraries. Unlike our Classic Red Book Bag Rotation Program that rotates books weekly and exposes children to 100 thoughtfully curated books during the school year, our newly launched Super Summer Learning Adventures and Family Shared Reading Programs included multicultural books children and families keep and provided access to thousands of virtual books. Additionally, our programs include bilingual curriculum in English and Spanish that help families engage with the material and build early literacy skills essential for kindergarten readiness and reading proficiency by 3rd grade. Of note, our Family Shared Reading Program was a 2021 Library of Congress Best Practice Honoree.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
Raising A Reader will continue to provide many of our trainings virtually and will continue to iterate our Classic Red Book Bag Rotation Program to be adaptable to hard to reach settings that include rural, tribal, migrant and under-resourced urban communities through our Family Shared Reading Program which helps families build at home libraries. We will continue to offer digital shared reading tools in partnership with Worldreader and Guardians Collective.
Not Currently Scored
Raising A Reader 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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No 990 Program Data Found
Raising A Reader has earned a 100% 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
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.
Of the children engaged in our programs, eighty-three percent are either preschool or school aged, and seventeen percent are infants or toddlers. Our network of Affiliates is composed of many institutions including schools, childcare centers, Head Start programs, YMCA branches, libraries, home visiting programs, family resource centers, and more. Raising A Reader supports children ages 0-8 and their caregivers. Approximately 80% of the children and families we serve are from low-income backgrounds and identify as people of color (45% identify as Latinx, 17% as African American, and 12% as Asian, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Middle Eastern).
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), Case management notes, Community meetings or town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Other means
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
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?
Raising A Reader utilizes a train-the-trainer model to maximize our impact through a national network of Affiliates who receive training and ongoing support to implement our programs with fidelity. Through 1:1 biannual check-ins, monthly Town Hall Meetings, quarterly trainings, and annual surveys, Affiliates are invited to share feedback. Affiliate input is incorporated into the continuous improvement of our existing programs and informs the development of our pilot programs where we test and iterate best practices. We also work closely with our Affiliates to administer and collect parent feedback so that we can measure and evaluate the impact of our programming on children 0-8.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Other means
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
Amidst the COVID-19 uncertainty, RAR conducted a listening campaign, which included a series of continuous monthly Town Halls, surveys, and direct outreach among our Affiliate network. The following learnings emerged: The need for in-home, tangible resources; especially multilingual. The digital divide is real, in some places, it is estimated that 70% of families do not have access to the internet. RAR’s model will need to evolve to meet “best practices” and will need to include additional revenue. Most communities are looking at a 5-7 month gap in in-person schooling. The process also reaffirmed RAR’s key differentiators and value proposition and with this feedback RAR created Family Shared Reading Program to provide at-home literacy and learning materials to families.
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 100 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 11 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 (6/7) | |
---|---|
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. |
Raising A Reader 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
Raising A Reader (RAR) is a national non-profit organization founded in 1999 focused on early child literacy and family engagement. Our mission is to engage caregivers in a routine of book sharing with their children from birth through age eight to foster healthy brain development, healthy relationships, a love of reading, and the literacy skills critical for school success. RAR was one of the nation’s earliest venture philanthropy enterprises and remains one of the few cost-effective and scalable nonprofit organizations with an earned revenue model that has sustained its operations for more than twenty years. Approximately 50% of our budget is through earned revenue and the other 50% comes from contributed revenue from individuals and institutions. RAR optimizes a train-the-trainer Affiliate model to maximize our impact. We equip local community-based organizations with tools, training, actionable steps and ongoing support to empower families and improve kids’ reading skills.
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Thanks to the success of our Classic Red Book Bag Rotation model and the launch of new programs, Super Summer Learning Adventures and Family Shared Reading, our goal is to grow from serving 150,000 to 200,000 children by 2022. As a social enterprise, we are positioned to expand through increased sales among new and existing partners who may have access to new Federal and State funding. In addition, our new program models that are more easily implemented in hard to reach settings can help us target vulnerable and under-resourced communities through funding from foundations and individuals. These new markets include housing developments, pediatric clinics, migrant, tribal and rural communities. Our evidence-based programming is easy to implement and easy to scale while preparing children for kindergarten and reinforcing home shared reading routines that help children become readers and reach grade level by 3rd grade.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Launch Raising A Reader's new pilot program enlisting pediatricians in reinforcing literacy routines through well-child visits by September 2022.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
Goal Two: In 2019, Raising A Reader approved a three-year 2020-22 strategic plan that included a 15% growth goal to serve 200,000 children, families and caregivers by 2022. In 2021, we reaching 150,000.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: Implement our Race Equity Agenda to address the impact of racial injustice and inequities on the children and families we serve by ensuring and implementing best practices and policies.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Raising A Reader is committed to recruiting, hiring and supporting a diverse staff that includes supporting a leadership team of six that is 50% people of color. We host biannual in-person leadership retreats that include all six members of our national team in addition to supporting staff at all levels in attending and presenting at national conferences.
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
Community Building
Raising A Reader supports 285 Affiliates who administer our programming at nearly 3,000 implementation sites across 36 states, providing books, curriculum, training and ongoing support. We also collaborate with national partners like the Campaign for Grade Level Reading (CGLR), a collaboration of foundations, nonprofits, states, and communities focused on the No.1 predictor of school success: third grade reading. RAR President and CEO, Michelle Torgerson, was a featured panelist at an invite only CGLR launch session, “Assume Collaboration: A Consultative Conversation on Aggregating for Impact.” Torgerson is also partnering with leaders in the field to promote “Radical Collaboration” in the quest for early literacy for all. Guests have included President and CEO of Council for a Strong America, Brian Ford, Superbowl Champion and Literacy Advocate, Malcom Mitchell, and President and CEO of Strive Together, Jennifer Blatz who recently joined the Raising A Reader board of directors.
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Raising A Reader's programming was greatly impacted by the pandemic which included school closures. Our Classic Red Book Bag rotation model includes weekly rotation of books throughout the school year and our trainings were mostly in-person prior to the pandemic. We adapted by providing training and ongoing support to our Affiliates virtually and launching two new programs suited to social distancing. These models, Super Summer Learning Adventures and Family Shared Reading Program, were based on our Classic Red Book Bag Rotation model but instead of rotating books weekly, these new models helped families build at home libraries. Children were allowed to keep the books, materials and bilingual curriculum which included weekly activities in English and Spanish. We plan to continue providing all three program models and virtual training opportunities.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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