Lambert House

“There are no committees with the authority to act on behalf of the governing body.”

“The draft is reviewed by the executive director and the final form 990 is circulated to the full board for review prior to submission to the irs.”

“Directors are required to disclose any potential conflict of interest either in a board meeting or in writing. If a conflict exists, the person with the conflict is recused from voting. Disclosures are recorded in the board minutes.”

“Board members independently review comparability data including executive director/ceo salaries reported on guidestar/candid for similarly sized 501(c)(3) organizations and those with related missions. They also review compensation data from a harvard university salary survey for executives with similar educational and career backgrounds. The board also considers performance, longevity, relevant governmental appointments, and community leadership. The process described here was last completed in 2023.”

“UPON REQUEST”

“In 2024, lambert house continued its 43-year history as the largest lgbtq+ youth nonprofit in the northwestern united states. It served 766 unduplicated youth through approximately 26,000 service contacts in 10 locations. Participants ranged in age from 10 through 22 years old. Lambert house also offered 10 weekly online programs. Programming occurred seven days a week. Programs included meals, housing referrals, a community center, suicide prevention, social support groups, informal mentoring, crisis intervention, family connectedness, educational workshops, leadership development, skills internships, youth leadership, community building events, outdoor recreation, academic advising, and training for professionals in other organizations.”

“Lambert house again had a platinum rating, the highest possible rating--on guidestar/candid in 2024. Guidestar/candid is an independent, rating organization that does not accept fees from nonprofits to be rated by it. Lambert house provides an exceptional value to donors and funders through the use of skilled volunteers for program delivery. In 2024, it held its program expense ratio below 75% of total costs. In 2024 lambert house engaged 117 skilled, long-term volunteers as role models and informal mentors for program participants. Many lambert house alumni cite the volunteers as the highlight of their lambert house experience. Volunteers contributed approximately 14,397 hours delivering programs. Volunteers typically complete a written applicaton; 1-1.5 hour interview; three reference checks; criminal background checks; shadow shift; and 22 hours of training. With staff supervision, the volunteers facilitate support groups, oudoor recreation, the community center, dinners, and also provide informal mentoring. The dollar value of volunteer time cannot be reported on a form 990. With 97 weekly volunteers, and 20 monthly volunteers, all contributing 3 hours per shift, this form 990 understates by $579,991 the value of the programming that lambert house delivered using volunteers [(97x3x47 weeks) + (20x3x12 months)] = 14,397 volunteer hours x $40.28 value of volunteer time in washington state in 2024 according to https://independentsector.org/research/value-of-volunteer-time/). This understatement skews the program expense ratio. At least one famous rating company issues a low rating to any nonprofit that refuses to pay the rating company a substantial annual fee. A high program expense ratio (above 75% of expenses) means that a nonprofit's programs cost a lot. It does not mean that the programs are effective. It could indicate that the nonprofit's programs are too expensive; they also might serve too few clients, or serve them poorly. At lambert house, likert-scale surveys and other formal measurement methods completed by program participants, combined with feedback from parents, teachers, mental health professionals, and others demonstrate that lambert house programs are highly effective.”