Nonprofit organizations in Orange County hit double digit growth on this year’s Business Journal list, reporting $1.7 billion in revenue for the 12 months ended June 30, up 11% year-over-year.
Expenses increased for the 95 nonprofits on the list by 7.6% to $1.5 billion.
The rankings are based on organizations with at least $3 million in annual revenue and are based in OC or have significant operations in the county. It also includes data on paid staff, volunteer numbers and clients served, though those figures don’t affect the rankings.
Sixty-two nonprofits reported revenue growth, compared with 67 a year ago. Twenty-nine reported decreases, compared with 20 last year. The remaining four are Business Journal estimates.
The list saw the debut of eight organizations: Boys and Girls Club of Central Orange Coast in Irvine, No. 68; The Wooden Floor in Santa Ana, No. 77; CureDuchenne in Newport Beach, No. 79; Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation in Irvine, No. 80; The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Orange County and Inland Empire Research Chapter in Santa Ana, No. 89; MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center Foundation in Laguna Hills, No. 90; Mary’s Path in Santa Ana, No. 93; and Grandma’s House of Hope in Santa Ana, No. 94.
The organizations combined to employ 13,589 as of October, up 2.6% year-over-year.
The number of volunteers declined by 4.5% to 234,944 as 26 nonprofits reported decreases. Meanwhile, the organizations reported a 6% increase in the number of clients they serve to 9.7 million.
Notables
• Orange County Community Foundation moved up one spot to land at No. 1 on the list.
The Newport Beach-based organization helps individuals, families and companies partner and fund charitable organizations, and provides grants and resources to nonprofits.
It boosted its revenue by 46.5% to $155 million.
President Shelley Hoss said increased contributions over the past year was driven by its “ability to convert complex assets such as real estate and private business holdings for charitable purposes, family foundations utilizing OCCF as a strategic partner for their grant-making, and private foundations transitioning into funds at OCCF to reduce their administrative burden.”
Its expenses climbed up 32% to $84.9 million, reflecting the grants and scholarships it provides to other charitable organizations, Hoss said. She added that it awarded $79 million to nonprofits worldwide, including those in OC, for the fiscal year ended June 2018—placing it in the top 2% for grant-making among all 780 U.S. community foundations.
• No. 2, Goodwill of Orange County in Santa Ana saw its revenue rise to $130.8 million, up 6.7%. Expenses rose by 8% to $131 million. It added 18 employees, bringing its total to 1,647 as volunteers declined from 584 to 493.
President and Chief Executive Nicole Suydam was one of those new hires; she started her post in October.
Suydam said the organization continues to see revenue growth at its retail stores, e-commerce channel and workforce development programs.
It opened its 25th Goodwill store in Cypress two months ago. The 13,000-square-foot shop, near Cypress Community College, features the organization’s first drive-thru donation drop-off.
“We are planning for growth in 2019 in these core areas of our operation, along with securing more private, philanthropic contributions to support our Tierney Center for Veterans Services and our Rogers A. Severson Fitness & Technology Center,” she said in a statement.
• Mercy House Living Centers reported the biggest revenue jump by percentage, 76.4% to $15.2 million. The Santa-Ana based nonprofit leapfrogged from No. 49 to No. 33. It also boosted employee count 21.7% to 140 and increased its volunteers from 1,604 to 2,192.
• No. 23, Jamboree Housing Corp. in Irvine reported one the biggest declines. It saw revenue decrease by 32.7% to $20.8 million while expenses decreased by 24.1% to $12 million.
The affordable housing provider had a tough comp to match this year.
“Jamboree’s year-over-year drop in revenue was the result of a refinance of one of our communities in 2016 which netted an $8 million gain on sale and a beautiful remodel of that property that included infrastructure, ADA and green upgrades to the property,” Vice President of Marketing and Communications Mary Jo Goelzer said in a statement.
She added that the organization will be busy next year as it has more than 2,400 affordable apartment units in the pipeline, offering monthly rents from $500 to $1,600 for families, seniors, veterans and those living with mental illness and the homeless. It will also celebrate the ground breaking of its newest property, the Santa Ana Veterans Village, next month. It says it will be the county’s largest housing complex for veterans with 75 one- and two-bedroom units and 14,639 square feet of outdoor space and 9,900 square feet of community areas including services such as an employment center, pro bono legal assistance and VA benefits and services.
