Efficient charity: Lutheran group rated third best in nation

Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2002 | 9:39 a.m.

Christine Springer, executive director of Lutheran Social Services of Nevada, teaches a course at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and does consulting work to supplement her income from the charity.

Many of her eight full-time and four part-time employees also hold second jobs to make ends meet.

That's on top of working what often turn into 10-hour days at the no-frills office behind Calvary Lutheran Church, 800 Bruce St., and taking calls at home from those in need.

The effort has helped garner the nonprofit group's national affiliate, Lutheran Services of America, recognition as the third most efficient human services organization in the last issue of Smart Money magazine.

Not burdened by the high overheads of some major nonprofit agencies -- rents and mortgages, fund-raising costs and salaries for large staffs -- the local Lutheran Services gets much bang for its buck, returning 88 cents of every dollar to the needy.

"All of our managers, including me, help with intake and processing of those who come through our doors seeking help," said Springer, who oversees the office and raises money for the charity.

"The way I look at it is in order for me to better do my job of raising funds, what better way to learn about the needs of the people for whom I am raising money than to meet them first hand?"

The Smart Money survey gave the national Lutheran Services group an 81.5 score. It noted the charity spends 90 cents of every dollar of donations on programs, uses 3 cents for fund-raising and banks 5 cents.

America's Second Harvest scored an almost perfect 98.9 from Smart Money to gain the top spot, and Neighborhood Centers Inc. placed second with 90.4.

No other organization scored above 80 points. Catholic Charities USA finished fourth with 78.1 points, spending 6 cents of every dollar on fund-raising. American Red Cross finished sixth with 72.7 points, with 15 cents of every dollar going to fund-raising, the Smart Money study said.

However, the magazine's scoring system did not necessarily reflect the spending habits of all Las Vegas charity chapters. For instance, the Salvation Army finished 13th in the Smart Money report with a 63.4 score, dragged down significantly because it saved 26 cents of every dollar that was donated.

Salvation Army Clark County Command spokesman Charlie Desiderio said his chapter has no such savings, operates with a small staff, owns its own buildings and puts 90 cents of every dollar donated to it into programs.

He doesn't fault charities who have higher overhead, though.

Some charities see a large payoff from putting their resources into fund-raising because it brings in even more money to help those in need, Desiderio said.

Regardless of the philosophy, Desiderio said, there is plenty of room in the industry for the big and the small charities, because there are so many people in need.

"We need a lot of programs and social services, so there will always be a need for Lutheran Social Services and other small nonprofit organizations of the world," Desiderio said. "We are all shooting at the same target and we are trying to meet the needs of everyone.

"There are things we do on a grand scale, and there are things the smaller organizations do to meet some of the needs we cannot."

Lutheran Services locally provides emergency food, clothing and case management for youth, families and seniors. In all, it helps about 25,000 people each year. Some of them are poor but don't necessarily meet the poverty criteria often required to receive help from some larger charities.

"We help a lot of people who fall through the cracks," office manager Raynette Sanders said. "We try to give people looking for clothes two sets of clothing and those looking for food a three-day supply of meals. We take a hands-on approach and we try not to turn anyone away."

Sandra Lewis, who serves as emergency food manager among other duties, said keeping the pantry full is just as difficult for small agencies such as Lutheran Services as it is for the big charities that often find their cupboards bare.

"Last May we got 21,000 pounds of (nonperishable) food donated to us and, by August, it was all gone," Lewis said. "The need is sometimes overwhelming, but this job is so satisfying. You know that you have made an impact in people's lives when they leave here with tears of happiness in their eyes."

Springer said she was "somewhat surprised" by the high magazine ranking, because "much of what we do is pretty low key."

"We are relatively new (in Las Vegas), just five years old," she said. "We understand that Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army get more recognition because they have been around a long time, are high profile and meet the needs of so many. Still, it is nice when you are recognized for the work you do."

Springer, who also is incoming secretary of the Southern Nevada Homeless Coalition, said that while strides have been made to help the needy, "more work is needed to be done to address the homelessness issue."

"You need the big guys and you need the little guys," she said, "and you need them all working together."