Houston Welcomes Refugees

“The irs form 990 is prepared by an independent cpa firm, and upon completion, it is sent to the executive director who reviews the draft return and changes are made as needed. The executive director provides a copy of the draft 990 to the full board of directors for review. Once all questions have been answered and any additional changes made, it is e- filed. Once the 990 has been accepted by the irs, a final copy is sent to the board.”

“The bylaws of the organization contain a robust conflict of interest policy that all board members have agreed to comply with and abide by. The employee handbook, which is reviewed and signed by each staff member, also requires full disclosure and approval of potential conflicts in writing prior to the transaction occurring. If a potential conflict arises, the board member or employee in question will disclose all relevant facts and then recuse themselves from further discussion. The remaining board members will review all relevant facts to determine if a conflict of interest exists and will vote on the matter and any action needed.”

“The board of directors determined and approved the executive director's compensation package by conducting a market review of salary ranges for comparable organizations. Annual changes to compensation are also reviewed and approved by the full board of directors.”

“Governing documents and financial statements are available upon request.”

“Part ix-expenses: houston welcomes refugees received donated office space from first baptist church of houston. If they had to pay for this space, their expenses would have increased by 20,757, the value of the rental for 2023.”

“Volunteers assist in the planning and execution of all of houston welcomes refugees' (hwr) programs. In 2024, 1,681 refugees received support from a total of 595 volunteers across hwr's programs. Through the starting essentials program, over 149 volunteers helped organize over 2,094 donated welcome kits for arriving refugees throughout the year. Additionally, over 140 volunteers prepared the apartments for 748 refugees who received the blessing of donated welcome kits and groceries. Through the friendship program, 43 welcome teams, totaling 237 volunteers, provided ongoing support to 142 refugees during their first six months in houston. Hwr utilized a volunteer leadership team of over 35 volunteer leaders (plus numerous church liasons) who regularly assisted with activities such as organizing collection drives, presenting at trainings and events, and mentoring other volunteers. Hwr's volunteers provided 3,118 volunteer hours towards the programs. Based on an hourly rate of 34.79, as calculated by the independent sector website, volunteers contributed over 108,000 in volunteer hours across hwr's programs in 2024. The volunteer members of the board also provide leadership and support for the operations of hwr.”