Unbound

“An independent accounting firm prepares the 990. The 990 is then reviewed by the organization's president/ceo and accounting personnel. Any questions and concerns the organization's president/ceo and accounting personnel have are addressed and any corrections or clarifications that need to be made are made. The 990 is then provided to the full board for their review prior to filing the 990. Any questions and concerns of the board are addressed and corrections or clarifications are made prior to filing the 990.”

“All board members annually disclose their involvement with other organizations, communities, employment, staff, vendors or any other associations that might potentially produce a conflict, regardless of the likelihood of an actual conflict arising. New board nominees also complete a disclosure form. When the board is to decide an issue that presents an unavoidable conflict of interest for a member, the member with the conflict abstains from participation in both the deliberation and vote. All employees annually sign a receipt and acknowledgement of Unbound's Code of Conduct which forbids a conflict or the appearance of a conflict between the employee's personal interests and those of Unbound. The employee's signature acknowledges their agreement to adhere to this code and to immediately disclose a suspected conflict of interest to a staff director, member of the Human Resources Department OR CONFIDENTIALLY THROUGH UNBOUND'S INDEPENDENT REPORTING SERVICE.”

“The compensation of the President/CEO for June 2014-June 2015 was determined at the June 2014 Governing Board of Directors Meeting. Prior to this discussion, the President/CEO and the non-voting members of the board excused themselves from the board meeting. The voting members met with the Director of Human Resources who provided them with the following information which they used to determine the compensation amount: Utilizing the services of an independent compensation consultant group, Unbound built a formal compensation system for the entire organization. That data, along with other external factors such as comparison of compensation, previous career experience and education of the top executives of similar sponsorship organizations, helped the board determine the President/CEO's June 2014-June 2015 compensation. The voting members then approved the annual salary for the President/CEO. Substantiation of the decision of the Board's determination was maintained by the Director of Human Resources.”

“Unbound's articles of incorporation, audited financial statements, by-laws and conflict of interest policy along with irs forms 1023, 990 and 990-t are available for inspection at our offices. Unbound's audited financial statements and irs forms 990 and 990-t are posted on our website (www.unbound.org). Printed copies are available upon request.”

“Unbound provides financial support, services and encouragement to individuals and their families living on the margins of society in 21 countries around the world. We serve more than 300,000 children, youth and elderly people with the support of more than 260,000 sponsors, mostly from the U.S. Through education, livelihood opportunities, and help with food and other necessities, the personalized support offered through Unbound helps people break through poverty to create better futures for their families and communities. 1. We provide personal attention and direct benefits to children, youth, the aging and their families so they may live with dignity, achieve their desired potential and participate fully in society. 2. We invite people of goodwill to live in daily solidarity with the world's poor through one-to-one sponsorship. 3. We build community by fostering relationships of mutual respect, understanding and support that are culturally diverse, empowering and without religious or other prejudice. Grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor, Unbound works with persons of all faith traditions to create a worldwide community of compassion and service.”

“Total grants for the sponsorship program were $102.1 million in 2014. At the end of 2014, a total of 311,998 individuals were sponsored through Unbound. They included 284,662 children and youth, 27,016 aging persons and 320 candidates studying for religious vocations. Sponsored individuals and their families were served through Unbound projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda and Venezuela. Following are examples of achievements in the sponsorship program as Unbound works with individuals and families to break the cycle of poverty. Unbound's sponsorship program helps individuals and their families in 21 countries break through poverty by connecting them with individual sponsors and supportive local communities of staff members and other families. Through letters and a monthly financial contribution, sponsors experience another culture, friendship and a practical way to make a lasting difference in the life of a child and family or elderly person. Sponsors who travel on Unbound awareness trips may meet their sponsored friends, learn about their lives and see the Unbound program in action and how their contributions are used. Unbound also coordinates individual visits for sponsors who want to meet their sponsored friends. In 2014, 922 sponsored children and elderly were visited. Families participating in the sponsorship program utilize financial assistance to help with needs such as education, nutrition, clothing and health care, in addition to leadership and economic development programs (e.g. financial literacy, youth retreats and skill development for parents). Sponsorship requires active participation from families as they take a central role in selecting benefits for their children and building stronger communities. Sponsored members partner with Unbound to make program and benefit decisions that help meet their basic needs and develop their potential over the course of their time in the program, sometimes 18 years or more. Outcomes vary by location and typically include education, leadership, improved health and nutrition status, dignified housing, skill development and increased income through livelihood opportunities for families. Through Unbound's sponsorship program, families have more choices in their lives and are empowered over time to break through poverty. Monitoring and evaluation of programs Unbound is committed to learning from our work and ensuring that the work makes a positive impact in the lives of children, the elderly and families around the world. The organization asks two basic questions to earn donor trust and be at our best for those we work with: 1. Did we do what we said we were going to do? This is program monitoring. 2. Did it make a difference? This is program evaluation. Unbound distinguishes between monitoring and evaluation and maintains separate but complementary strategies. Monitoring: The principal purpose of monitoring is accountability. Regular program monitoring is conducted to ensure fidelity in the organizational structure, development of programs, implementation of policies and the appropriate use of finances. Some of this monitoring happens across distance with regular reporting, emails and phone calls. Much of it happens with personal on-site visits from headquarters staff. Unbound's monitoring strategy includes: 1. Project visits made annually to each project for staff development, program support, assessments, etc. 2. Financial audits conducted in each project 3. Program audits conducted at each project once every three years 4. Awareness trips and individual sponsor visit opportunities Evaluation: Learning is the focus of program evaluation. Unbound's personalized approach to sponsorship requires a unique and creative approach to evaluation. The organization has developed a three-tier system to evaluate the”

“Following are examples of achievements in the education support provided through the scholarship program as Unbound works with individuals and families to break the cycle of poverty. Education support provided by the Unbound service-scholarship program helps dynamic, talented older students who, because of economic circumstances, are struggling to continue their educations. The program is founded on the principles of perseverance, leadership and service to the community. The scholarship program complements the education support provided by the Unbound sponsorship program, with 47 percent of scholarship students also sponsored. The program has allowed thousands of students in communities around the world to achieve their educational goals and dreams. Students are able to complete their educations, follow their chosen career paths and be of service to the larger community. Scholarships are used for needs such as secondary and post-secondary tuition, vocational school, transportation, school supplies and books. Recipients are selected by local program staffs based on economic need, commitment to completing their educations, demonstrated leadership potential and interest in community service. Scholars perform service projects as a requirement of the program. Scholarships are intended as supplemental assistance, and students and their families contribute what they can toward educational costs. In 2014, scholarship grants to Unbound projects totaled nearly $2.9 million. Scholarships were awarded to 7,898 students in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda and Venezuela. Many scholars, 47 percent, are sponsored youth who need extra financial help in addition to sponsorship assistance to complete their educations. Non-sponsored older students identified by Unbound projects as being in need of educational assistance and having a desire to serve their communities also are eligible for scholarships and represent 53 percent of the scholarships awarded. An important component of the program is the service requirement. Unbound scholars are required to perform some type of meaningful service in their communities. This may include tutoring, helping children in the sponsorship program write letters to their sponsors in the U.S., translating letters or work related to their fields of study. Many former scholars work at Unbound projects as staff members. They bring to their work with Unbound a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on the program and their communities. Monitoring program success Scholars are required to maintain good grades and perform service projects in their communities. Local Unbound project staffs monitor students to make sure they are fulfilling program requirements, and projects provide annual reports on their scholarship programs. In 2013, Unbound also initiated qualitative evaluation with alumni of the scholarship program, utilizing a group mind-mapping process and individual interviews to explore long-term outcomes. Examples of program success Unbound conducted Ripple-Effect Mapping (REM) with more than 80 program alumni in the Metro Manila area of the Philippines. REM is a participatory and qualitative evaluation method used to learn the intended and unintended results of the program. Alumni, on average three years out of the program, are pursuing careers from teaching to nursing and accounting to architectural design. Most are employed on a full-time basis. Former scholar students self-identified the most significant outcomes of the program as education, leadership and spiritual/holistic development. Many former scholars are supporting their own families and providing economic and mentoring support for siblings as they pursue their education. A central theme in the evaluation findings was the significant internal drive toward giving back to their communities. Exam”

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