Latest audit reflects generosity of supporters, commitment to principles
Latest audit reflects generosity of supporters, commitment to effective grass-roots principles
AMERICUS, Georgia — The latest independent audit of The Fuller Center for Housing shows a record 94 percent of expenses going to program work in fiscal year 2022-23 ending June 30, edging out the old record of 93 percent set the previous fiscal year.
Nonprofit industry standards call for at least 65 percent of expenses to go directly to program.
There are many reasons why The Fuller Center is able keep its program-to-overhead ratios at extraordinary levels, but there are two primary driving factors — the support and generosity of Fuller Center donors and the commitment to the grass-roots principles with which founder Millard Fuller launched our nonprofit affordable housing ministry, principles that include maintaining low overhead costs and reining in unnecessary bureaucracy.
“One of the challenges of nonprofit work is maintaining a healthy balance in how our funds are spent, program versus administration and fundraising,” Fuller Center President David Snell said. “People like to see their donations going to the work of the mission rather than to high salaries and fancy offices. The Fuller Center’s current ratio of 94 percent of all expenditures going to program is impressive.
“So, how do we do it? There are a number of factors involved, first among them our generous and loyal donors. They’re the ones who make it all possible. On the spending side, we own our headquarters campus, thanks to John and Sue Wieland, so we don’t have rent or a mortgage to pay. Our staff, which is an incredible group of saints, is smaller today than it was 10 years ago — doing more with fewer doing it.
“We’ve also done a lot of work on our office building, making it more energy-efficient and money-saving. We have an ethic that acknowledges that every penny we save is one that goes into housebuilding. And, most of all, we are richly blessed.”
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