Buckner Children and Family Services Bullet-Point Analysis strength
caution
weakness
S T R AT E GY Keeping Families Together. In addition to coordinating foster care and adoption placements, Buckner works to keep families together. Buckner offers aid and coaching to families who may be at risk of future child removal due to abuse or neglect, and it works to reduce barriers to self-sufficiency for single parents so they can afford to care for their children long-term.
Focus on Expansion. Last year, Buckner listed demonstrating “the measurable impact that Buckner core services have on clients” as its #1 target for future plans. This year, all future plans switched back to expansion of services—more counties in Texas, more Family Hope Centers, etc.—despite outcome measures still being a weakness. Quantifying Buckner’s impact would show which high impact programs to expand. Buckner has not modified or cut a program in the last 3 years for bad results.
L EA DE RS H I P Board Engagement and Support. Buckner’s gender-diverse Board meets 4 times annually, works in 4 committees, has approved a strategic plan, and evaluates the CEO annually. The Board has also established a separate advisory Board it can use to recruit new Board members when their term limits end. The Board contributed 3% of gift income in FY2018.
Volunteer Leverage. Buckner’s 309 staff (FTE) mobilized 6,375 volunteers in the USA in FY2018. Leveraging volunteers can exponentially improve operating efficiency.
IM P A CT Tracking Activities and Outputs. Buckner reports how many single moms completed its Family Pathways program, how many children were adopted or placed with a foster family, and how many people were served by Family Hope Center programs around the world.
Measuring Long-term Outcomes. Buckner is unable to report on the long-term outcomes of most of its clients. Buckner reports clear outcomes for its Family Pathways participants, but it does not report (1) improved child safety or stability for foster family placements or (2) reduction in risk of abuse or neglect for Family Hope Center program participants through healthier relationships and finances.
Duplicated Clients. Until 2018, Buckner was counting some of its clients more than once when reporting annual clients served. After removing duplications, Buckner reported serving half as many clients in FY2018 as in FY2017. After adjusting for the duplications, Buckner’s cost per client served more than doubled from the $127 reported in FY2017 to the more accurate $262 reported in FY2018.
FI N A N C ES Financial Management. Buckner performs annual independent audits and follows written financial controls. No debt and investments creating $10M+ in annual income gives Buckner financial stability.
No Urgent Need for Funding. Buckner is 73% self-sustainable in the USA and has a separate foundation with over $318M. Buckner maintains $44 million in near-term expendable assets to cover an entire year of expenses. Buckner’s strong financial backing allows it to compensate its CEO $481K.
Fundraising Efficiency. Though Buckner is highly self-sufficient, it spends a high 20 cents for each dollar it fundraises – more than 85% of the nonprofits in the Excellence in Giving database. Buckner’s total number of donors was lower in FY2018 than any of the prior 3 years. NOTE: Excellence in Giving’s analysis is based on data provided by the nonprofit in our Analytics report.
Created: 5.16.2019