Prologue

For Serve Denton, 2020 began with much excitement. We completed a year of construction and renovations and were excited to have a "full house" of nonprofit partners. A 40-year-old dream was being realized in this community. A dream of creating a one-stop-shop for humanity where it would be easy for people to find help and nonprofits could thrive. What we had been building toward had finally become a reality.

Then on Thursday, March 12, life as we knew it changed forever.

The world began facing the first widespread pandemic in more than a century. Everything we assumed about the future was no longer. All of our plans were thrown out the window. Our excitement and celebration were cut short. It was time to sink or swim. If we didn't improvise, adapt, and overcome the new challenges we were facing, people in our community wouldn't have access to many of the resources they have desperately needed over the past year. It was time to get to work as we had never worked before.

We found ourselves facing two significant challenges.

The first challenge was external: how to deal with the reality of the coronavirus. There was no playbook on how to do this. We had to figure it out.

The second challenge was internal: improving our performance and not losing the momentum we had built. We knew we couldn't meet the astronomical rise in need by doing what we had always done. As an organization, we had to get better and keep moving forward.

Both challenges had similarities. The demand for services from our nonprofit partners and ourselves increased dramatically as uncertainty about the future grew. It felt like rushing into the ocean at night. We knew the water was deep, but we couldn't see how far it went.

At the same time, our funding decreased significantly with the cancellation of our Celebration Gala. The Celebration Gala is our biggest fundraiser of the year. Without those funds, we had to do more with less. The conveniences of a good economy were gone. Amidst all of that, we experienced staff changes.

Our Board, nonprofit partners, community and staff rose to the occasion and met every challenge headon through it all. This year was the toughest Serve Denton has ever faced, but it showed us who we indeed are. It gave us confidence by proving what we are capable of and is possible when people of goodwill come together.

This Annual Report explains how we met both of those challenges and more in 2020—a year like no other.