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. 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 employee manual. The code of conduct which forbids a conflict or the appearance of a conflict between the employee's personal interests and those of unbound is part of that review. 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 2019-june 2020 was determined at the june 2019 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. Using payscale, which is an independent compensation consultant subscription program, market data research was reviewed based on current market pay for similar positions. Our philosophy is to target the 25th to 50th percentile of the range where the job has been matched. It is also based on current market data within the profit and non-profit industries, containing up to 500 employees and matched on job responsibilities in the market place. The board considered other factors such as a comparison of compensation of executives from similar sponsorship organizations and a formal evaluation of job performance to determine the president/ceo's june 2018 - june 2019 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. The compensation of the other officers (treasurer and secretary) and all other employees were approved by their respective supervisor at unbound. It was based on both a written performance evaluation as well as the organization's compensation framework and planning system. Compensation change decisions are planned and documented in the adp workforce now compensation module.”

“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's mission is to walk with the poor and marginalized of the world. 1. We provide personal attention and direct benefits to children, youth, 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 worlds 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 is a lay Catholic organization working with persons of all faith traditions to create a worldwide community of compassion and service.”

“Total grants for the sponsorship program were $109 million in 2019. At the end of 2019, a total of 301,555 individuals in Latin America, Asia and Africa were sponsored through Unbound. They included 268,421 children and youth, 32,895 elders and 239 candidates studying for the priesthood or religious life. Following are examples of achievements in the sponsorship program, as sponsored individuals and their families partnered with Unbound to identify the specific challenges they must overcome, set their own goals and formulate plans to achieve them. Unbounds sponsorship program connects children, youth, elders and their families with individual sponsors and supportive local communities of staff members and other families. Through sponsorship, individuals and families have resources and a solid support network to begin to chart their own course out of poverty. In 2019, Unbound had programs in 18 countries, including Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, Tanzania and Uganda. In 2019, Unbound also started a program in Rwanda and sponsorship launched in January 2020. Sponsors - through the monthly financial contributions they make and letters they receive from their sponsored friends - experience a sense of connection with someone in another part of the world and satisfaction knowing they are helping another human being reach their potential. Sponsors also have the opportunity to write to their sponsored friends to offer their encouragement and build rewarding relationships. Unbound had 252,222 sponsors from the U.S. and around the world at the end of 2019. Sponsored individuals and their families partner with Unbound to make program and benefit decisions that help them meet their basic needs and develop their potential over the course of their time in the program, which is sometimes 18 years or more. Sponsored individuals and their families use financial assistance to help meet needs such as education, nutrition, housing improvements, transportation and health care. They also have access to leadership and economic development opportunities related to financial literacy, skill development and income generation. Sponsorship requires active participation from families as the program is highly personalized. With support from social workers and other local Unbound staff, families take a central role in determining sponsorship benefits, and in forming support networks in which they encourage each other and hold each other accountable. Small support groups of parents and guardians, mostly made up of mothers, are key in the sponsorship programs success. Families, particularly mothers, are the primary leaders in Unbound. They know best when it comes to meeting their childrens needs, and Unbound listens to them and learns from them. Mothers participating in Unbound have taken advantage of micro-savings and credit opportunities to meet urgent family needs, or to start or boost small businesses to generate income, Parents have also formed cooperatives to meet community needs and provide income for members. Outcomes of sponsorship vary but typically relate to education, leadership development, improved health and nutrition status, dignified housing, skill development and increased income through livelihood opportunities for families. Monitoring program success Monitoring and evaluation of programs Unbound is committed to learning from our work and ensuring that it makes a positive impact in the lives of children, youth, elders 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”

“With the introduction and adoption of individual bank account models, a majority of sponsored members now have more direct access to their personal benefits. While a major concern surrounding cash transfer programs has been misuse of funds, Unbound seeks to answer these concerns by conducting an evaluation that studies the purchasing behavior of the families participating in the sponsorship program. Evaluations were conducted in India in 2018 and Guatemala in 2019 to determine if a lack of supervision mechanisms - such as submission of receipts - has any impact on the ways families use their benefit amounts. The findings from this evaluation did not indicate that supervision mechanisms lead to a decrease in purchasing temptation goods. This means that families who weren't submitting receipts were no more likely to purchase temptation goods than the families that were submitting receipts. Finally, various project (community) level evaluations are ongoing and led by program staff in each country. The primary purpose of evaluations at the project level is to ensure continuous program improvements and adaptations to the ever-changing world around the program. For example, a 2019 evaluation conducted in Delhi, India, on a tutoring program showed 73% of the mothers of the tutored children have seen improved performance in the studies of their children. Furthermore, 73% of the mothers mentioned that the level of confidence in the children has increased. A 2019 evaluation in Guatemala revealed how families are spending their benefit funds. This information will be used to enhance the program to support financial planning for the achievement of goals.”

“Sponsorship helps children achieve a level of education that prepares them to compete with peers for jobs and be educated community members, parents and leaders. At a global level, at the point of leaving the program, 75% of sponsored children achieved a level of schooling comparable to or above national peer averages, according to data gathered from 2011-2014. This means that Unbound students - despite marginalization based on economic, social and geographic factors - were able to compete and excel alongside students from all socioeconomic brackets and areas within their countries. Of these former sponsored children, 51% achieved educational levels a year or more above their national peer averages. The number jumped to 59% achieving a year or more above their national peer averages when looking at the experience of sponsored girls. This, along with country-level analysis, indicated a specific impact on girls education and a closing or reversing of the prominent gender gap present in many communities. In Guatemala, for example, sponsored children, on average, achieved almost three years of schooling more than the national average for their peers. And in Unbound's Quezon program in the Philippines, 57% of sponsored youth pursued post-secondary education compared to 30% of their peers. Families Sponsorship impacts the sponsored child and the entire family. Unbounds direct work through a personalized benefit model and parent groups means families are able to best allocate resources for their children and direct how the program supports their development as families. Most sponsored children have representation in the program through small parent/guardian groups. These groups provide the space for families to have a voice in the program and be part of a supportive community, addressing two significant components of poverty: lack of choices and isolation. In 2019, a local evaluation in Kisumu, Kenya, focused on understanding the factors that were stopping the members of the parent groups from taking loans from their groups cooperatives called Borneka SACCO. They found out that 54% of the respondents had never taken a loan from the SACCO, mostly because they felt like the regulation that qualifies the members for larger loans limited them in terms of when and how much they could withdraw for a loan. The team and the SACCO members are reviewing as well as educating the members on the guidelines and regulations of the loaning process to help more members in need. In 2017, an evaluation measuring the empowerment of mothers of sponsored children was performed. It compared those mothers to mothers who are waiting for their children to be sponsored. The evaluation found that parents of children sponsored through Unbound displayed a stronger level of ownership of psychological assets - such as happiness, control, goal setting and self-esteem - than the wait-list parents did. Unbound mothers were members in community groups, organizations, networks or associations as well. Mothers and guardians in Unbound reported feeling they are having a greater impact on their communities. Thirty percent of Unbound mothers said they were involved in making decisions within their communities compared to 16% of mothers in the comparison group. Evaluation results showed how more women in Unbound are taking economic risks starting small businesses to enact change. More women in the Unbound program have their own businesses, and fewer women in the program are unemployed than mothers in the comparison group. More mothers in Unbound also reported having complete choice in deciding or changing their occupations. This evaluation was a follow-up to a 2013 global evaluation on the same topic. The 2017 study revealed that 9% of mothers of sponsored children believed they had the power to change their familys situation, and 63% reported they were active in solving problems in their communities, among other findings on participation and empowerment indicators. Unbound”

“Unbound recognizes sponsors and other benefactors not merely as donors but, first and foremost, as highly valued and respected members of the Unbound community. Both sponsors and sponsored persons have something to gain from the sponsorship relationship, and toward that end Unbound is committed to helping sponsors become more aware of the realities of global poverty and grow in human solidarity. The staff at Unbound take exceptional care in communications with sponsors, whether dealing with routine account matters or in the production of publications and digital content. The goal is for sponsors to be informed about what happens in programs so they understand how their contributions are being used and become more invested in the lives of those they help. On an ongoing basis, Unbound surveys sponsors whose sponsorship relationships have come to an end. Respondents are asked how they feel about their sponsorship experience and how likely they would be to recommend Unbound. In 2019, the results were: 1. Ninety percent indicate they were either very satisfied (59%) or satisfied (31%). 2. More than 92% indicated they were either very likely (65.3%) or somewhat likely (27%) to recommend Unbound. In October through December of 2017, Unbound conducted a survey to determine what sponsors value about the sponsorship relationship and where communication fits into it. Respondents were asked about ways they engage with Unbound. Among the findings were: 1. Eighty-five percent of respondents reported they read printed material they receive in the mail from Unbound (including publications and information included with payment receipts). 2. Fifty-two percent reported that they read emails from Unbound. 3. Twenty-five percent of survey respondents reported they visit the Unbound website. 4. Of those who reported visiting the website, a large majority, 85%, stated the reason they visit is to send eLetters to their sponsored friends. Secondary reasons were to make payments or learn more about Unbound. 5. Fourteen percent of sponsors taking the survey reported that they call Unbound for questions, comments or needs related to their sponsorship. 6. Nine percent of survey respondents reported they have hosted or volunteered at an event promoting Unbound. 7. Five percent of respondents reported they read Unbound's blog or social media updates. Perhaps the most significant indicator of a quality sponsor experience is that Unbound maintains a high sponsor retention rate. Unbound ended 2019 with a retention rate of 92.3%. Another indicator of a quality sponsor experience is the number of people, 31,974 in 2019, who sponsor more than one child or elderly person through the organization. Sponsors who travel on Unbound awareness trips have a special opportunity to deepen their experience by meeting their sponsored friends, learning about their sponsored friends lives and cultures, and seeing firsthand the change individuals and families are creating with their support. In 2019, 643 people participated in 28 awareness trips in 12 countries.”

“Following are examples of achievements in education as Unbound works with students in our scholarship program. Educational support provided by Unbound's scholarship program helps talented older students who, because of economic circumstances, are struggling to continue their educations. The program is based on principles of perseverance, leadership and service to the community. The scholarship program complements the educational support provided by the Unbound sponsorship program, with 46.8% of scholarship students also sponsored. Unbound scholarships have helped students in communities around the world achieve their educational goals. 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, post-secondary and vocational school tuition; transportation; school supplies and books. Students are selected by local program staffs based on economic need, commitment to completing their educations, demonstrated leadership potential and interest in community service. Scholarship students participate in 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 2019, scholarship grants to Unbound field offices totaled more than $3.9 million. Scholarships were awarded to 9,086 students in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, Tanzania and Uganda. Many scholars are sponsored youth who need extra financial help in addition to sponsorship support to complete their educations. Qualified non-sponsored students identified by local Unbound staffs as being in need of educational assistance are also eligible for scholarships and represent 53.2% of those receiving awards. The service requirement is an important component of the program. Service may include tutoring, helping children in the sponsorship program write letters to their sponsors in the U.S., translating letters or performing work related to their fields of study. A number of former scholars work for Unbound as staff members after they graduate. They bring to their work a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on the program and their communities. Monitoring program success Scholars are required to maintain good grades in addition to fulfilling service requirements. Local Unbound staffs monitor students to make sure they are meeting program requirements, and they provide annual reports on the scholarship programs. Examples of program success At various locations around the world, community-level evaluations are ongoing and being led by program staff in each country. The primary purpose of evaluations at the local level is to ensure continuous program improvements and adaptations to the ever-changing world around the program. In 2019, 14 local-level evaluations were conducted, including the following three examples. In Honduras, 99% of scholars stated that they believe they are achieving their academic goals. Beyond their personal academic accomplishments, the evaluation in Honduras measured how scholars were leaders in their communities. Of the scholars who took the survey, 94% believe their actions in the Unbound scholarship program earn them respect in the community, and 91% believe they can take action to improve their community. In Guatemala, 98% of the scholars report having a goal for which they are working to achieve. The goals were education-related for 84% of the scholars. The evaluation in Guatemala also focused on results from students receiving tutoring from the scholars. It found that 95% of parents of students receiving tutoring reported a positive change in the attitude of their child. In Madagascar, young people in the scholarship program were dropping out of school. The evaluation highlig”

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