Lambert House

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

“A draft is reviewed by the executive director, 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. Disclosures are recorded in the board minutes.”

“Board members independently review comparability data including executive director/ceo salaries reported on forms 990 on guidestar/candid to compare similarly sized 501(c)(3) organizations and those with related missions. It also reviews compensation data from a harvard university salary survey for executives with similar educational and career backgrounds. The board also takes into account longevity, performance, education, record of career achievement, years of experience, and qualifications such as governmental appointments and community leadership. The process is completed annually.”

“UPON REQUEST”

“In 2023, lambert house continued its 42-year history as the largest lgbtq+ youth nonprofit in the northwestern united states. It served 667 unduplicated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and allied (lgbtq+) youth through approximately 26,000 service contacts. Participants ranged in age from 10 through 22 years old. Lambert house delivered programming in five locations and also offered 19 weekly online programs. Programming occurred seven days a week. Programs included health and mental-health risk prevention, social support groups, informal mentoring, suicide prevention, crisis intervention, family connectedness, educational workshops, leadership development, internships, community-building events, outdoor recreation, and other services such as academic advising and training for professionals in other organizations.”

“Lambert house provides an exceptional value to individual donors and institutional funders. By using skilled volunteers to deliver most of its programs , it held its program expense ratio in 2023 below 75% of total costs. In 2023 lambert house engaged 123 skilled, long-term volunteers; they served as a rich pool of role models for program participants. Many lambert house alumni cite the volunteers as the highlight of their lambert house experience. Volunteers contributed approximately 11,952 hours facilitating programs. The program volunteers typically complete a written applicaton; are interviewed at length; screened and vetted through criminal background checks and reference checks; complete a shadow shift; and complete 22 hours of training. Under staff supervision, the skilled volunteers facilitate lambert house's support groups, oudoor rec program, drop-in center, nightly dinners, and provide informal mentoring. Unfortunately, the dollar value of volunteer time is not reportable on this form 990. As a result, this form 990 understates by hundreds of thousands of dollars the value of the programming that lambert house delivered. Lambert house had a platinum rating, the highest possible rating--on guidestar/candid in 2023. Guidestar/candid is an independent, unbiased nonprofit that rates other nonprofits. It has an accurate view of what it measures and does not charge fees to nonprofits to be rated by it. At least one famous rating company issues a low rating to any nonprofit that refuses to pay the for-profit 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 their 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. As in previous years, the use of skilled volunteersin in 2023 kept lambert house's program expense ratio under 75%. At the same time it maximized geographic reach, client census, the number of programs offered, and the number of client contact hours. Lambert house continued to be a model of nonprofit efficiency and effectiveness.”