Crime Stoppers of Houston, Inc.
Accredited Charity
Meets Standards
Accredited Charity
Meets Standards
Standards Legend
- Meets Standards
- Standards Not Met
- Did Not Disclose
- Review In Progress
- Unable to Verify
Standards For Charity Accountability
Governance
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Board Oversight
Oversight of Operations and Staff: Standard 1
Description
Organizations shall have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. Indication of adequate oversight includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled appraisals of the CEO's performance, evidence of disbursement controls such as board approval of the budget, fundraising practices, establishment of a conflict of interest policy, and establishment of accounting procedures sufficient to safeguard charity finances.The organization meets this standard.
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Board Size
Number of Board Members: Standard 2
Description
Soliciting organizations shall have a board of directors with a minimum of five voting members.The organization meets this standard.
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Board Meetings
Frequency and Attendance of Board Meetings: Standard 3
Description
An organization shall have a minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with face-to-face participation. A conference call of the full board can substitute for one of the three meetings of the governing body. For all meetings, alternative modes of participation are acceptable for those with physical disabilities.The organization meets this standard.
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Board Compensation
Compensated Board Members: Standard 4
Description
Not more than one or 10% (whichever is greater) directly or indirectly compensated person(s) serving as voting member(s) of the board. Compensated members shall not serve as the board's chair or treasurer.The organization meets this standard.
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Conflict of Interest
Conflict of Interest: Standard 5
Description
No transaction(s) in which any board or staff members have material conflicting interests with the charity resulting from any relationship or business affiliation. Factors that will be considered when concluding whether or not a related party transaction constitutes a conflict of interest and if such a conflict is material, include, but are not limited to: any arm's length procedures established by the charity; the size of the transaction relative to like expenses of the charity; whether the interested party participated in the board vote on the transaction; if competitive bids were sought and whether the transaction is one-time, recurring or ongoing.The organization meets this standard.
Measuring Effectiveness
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Effectiveness Policy
Board Policy on Effectiveness: Standard 6
Description
Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.The organization meets this standard.
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Effectiveness Report
Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness: Standard 7
Description
Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.The organization meets this standard.
Finances
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Program Expenses
Program Service Expense Ratio: Standard 8
Description
Spend at least 65% of its total expenses on program activities.The organization meets this standard.
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Fundraising Expenses
Fundraising Expense Ratio: Standard 9
Description
Spending should be no more than 35% of related contributions on fundraising. Related contributions include donations, legacies, and other gifts received as a result of fundraising efforts.The organization meets this standard.
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Accumulating Funds
Ending Net Assets: Standard 10
Description
Avoid accumulating funds that could be used for current program activities. To meet this standard, the charity's unrestricted net assets available for use should not be more than three times the size of the past year's expenses or three times the size of the current year's budget, whichever is higher.The organization meets this standard.
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Audit Report
Financial Statements: Standard 11
Description
Make available to all, on request, complete annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. When total annual gross income exceeds $1 million, these statements should be audited in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $1 million, a review by a certified public accountant is sufficient to meet this standard. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $250,000, an internally produced, complete financial statement is sufficient to meet this standard.The organization meets this standard.
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Detailed Expense Breakdown
Detailed Functional Breakdown of Expenses: Standard 12
Description
Include in the financial statements a breakdown of expenses (e.g., salaries, travel, postage, etc.) that shows what portion of these expenses was allocated to program, fundraising, and administrative activities. If the charity has more than one major program category, the schedule should provide a breakdown for each category.The organization meets this standard.
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Accurate Expense Reporting
Accuracy of Expenses in Financial Statements: Standard 13
Description
Accurately report the charity's expenses, including any joint cost allocations, in its financial statements. For example, audited or unaudited statements which inaccurately claim zero fundraising expenses or otherwise understate the amount a charity spends on fundraising, and/or overstate the amount it spends on programs will not meet this standard.The organization meets this standard.
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Budget Plan
Budget: Standard 14
Description
Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fundraising, and administration.The organization meets this standard.
Fundraising & Info
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Truthful Materials
Misleading Appeals: Standard 15
Description
Have solicitations and informational materials, distributed by any means, that are accurate, truthful and not misleading, both in whole and in part. Appeals that omit a clear description of program(s) for which contributions are sought will not meet this standard. A charity should also be able to substantiate that the timing and nature of its expenditures are in accordance with what is stated, expressed, or implied in the charity's solicitations.The organization meets this standard.
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Annual Report
Annual Report: Standard 16
Description
Have an annual report available to all, on request, that includes: (a) the organization's mission statement, (b) a summary of the past year's program service accomplishments, (c) a roster of the officers and members of the board of directors, (d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (ii) expenses in the same program, fundraising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets.The organization meets this standard.
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Website Disclosures
Web Site Disclosures: Standard 17
Description
Include on any charity websites that solicit contributions, the same information that is recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990.The organization meets this standard.
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Donor Privacy
Privacy for Written Appeals & Internet Privacy: Standard 18
Description
Address privacy concerns of donors by (a) providing in written appeals, at least annually, a means (e.g., such as a check off box) for both new and continuing donors to inform the charity if they do not want their name and address shared outside the organization, (b) providing a clear, prominent and easily accessible privacy policy on any of its websites that tells visitors (i) what information, if any, is being collected about them by the charity and how this information will be used, (ii) how to contact the charity to review personal information collected and request corrections, (iii) how to inform the charity (e.g., a check off box) that the visitor does not wish his/her personal information to be shared outside the organization, and (iv) what security measures the charity has in place to protect personal information.The organization meets this standard.
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Cause Marketing Disclosures
Cause Related Marketing: Standard 19
Description
Clearly disclose how the charity benefits from the sale of products or services (i.e., cause-related marketing) that state or imply that a charity will benefit from a consumer sale or transaction. Such promotions should disclose, at the point of solicitation: (a) the actual or anticipated portion of the purchase price that will benefit the charity (e.g., 5 cents will be contributed to abc charity for every xyz company product sold), (b) the duration of the campaign (e.g., the month of October), (c) any maximum or guaranteed minimum contribution amount (e.g., up to a maximum of $200,000).The organization meets this standard.
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Complaints
Complaints: Standard 20
Description
Respond promptly to and act on complaints brought to its attention by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and/or local Better Business Bureaus about fundraising practices, privacy policy violations and/or other issues.The organization meets this standard.
Conclusion
Crime Stoppers of Houston, Inc. meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
Purpose
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Year, State Incorporated
1981, TX
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Stated Purpose
Crime Stoppers of Houston is a citizen-operated charitable organization whose mission is to solve and prevent serious crimes in the Greater Houston area in partnership with citizens, media and the criminal justice system.
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Also Known As:
Crime Stoppers of Houston
Programs
Since 1981, Crime Stoppers has assisted the many diverse communities of Houston by providing citizens access to our anonymous cash reward crime tip line, 713-222-TIPS. Crime Stoppers receives the callers’ information about unsolved crimes and fugitives, and forwards it to law enforcement. When the information leads to the arrest of a suspect, tipsters are eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000. As a resource to report criminal activity, Crime Stoppers is the eyes and ears of law enforcement in the community.Tip Line Program: Anonymous tips received in 2019 resulted in the 337 suspects identified, charged and/or arrested, 481 felony cases solved, and $320,525 cash rewards paid to 325 tipsters. In addition to the restricted cash received by court fines to pay tipsters, three area law enforcement agencies donated services valued at $1,823,580.Safe School Program:This program fulfills part of our mission to not only help solve crimes but to prevent them. CSOH works directly with students in grades Pre K-12 to make sure they are equipped with every possible tool necessary to stay safe in general and particularly on their school campuses. In addition to this effort, Governor Abbot charged CSOH with training Crime Stoppers organizations throughout the State of Texas by holding trainings and sharing all of our materials and safety information. In 2019 we reached 121,674 students, 1,513 parents/community leaders, 10,289 school staff and law enforcement officers and visited 486 schools. This program does not generate revenue as it is sponsored by designated and undesignated grants and donations to CSOH.Safe Community Program: The free programs offered to the community are designed to help prevent crime. These programs educated 13,903 citizens through monthly safe community seminars and potentially 34,250 via community outreach and 5.3M via Social Media and Marketing Outreach. Our monthly e-newsletter and social media outreach as a whole reached almost 6 million people. A series of educational and awareness events were conducted throughout the year to give citizens the tools and resources needed to keep their families safe and free of crime. Citizen empowerment and education are central to the Safe Community Program's approach to crime prevention. The Safe Community Program continued work as a hub to bring all non-profits dealing with similar topics together, creating dialogue that makes us stronger and more efficient as a community of involved citizens. The Safe Community programs do not generate revenue and are funded by undesignated donations and donations designated to programs and initiatives such as Animal Cruelty, Back to School Safety, Bullying, Child Abuse, Counter-Terrorism, Domestic Violence, Elder Abuse, Financial Crimes, Fire Safety, Human Trafficking, Identity Theft, Prom Safety, Seasonal/Retail Safety, Situational Awareness, and Teen Dating Violence.Newin 2019 Tip Line: In an effort to keep up with prevalent crimes in the GreaterHouston Area, Crime Stoppers of Houston is proud to include terroristic threatsin schools, missing persons and animal cruelty in our Tip Line over the recentyears.Newin 2019, Safe School Institute:In efforts to keep up with evolving crime trends and threatsfacing our students and parents, the Safe School Institute added furtherprogramming in 2019. The additional programming covered co-hosting ourfirst-ever National Summit on School Safety, providing in-person trainings toschool staff in four new regions, creating follow-up assessments for specificpresentations, and partnering with the FBI to combat hoax threats. See belowfor a breakdown of these programs:National Summit on School Safety -- In March 2019, the Safe School Institute co-hosted the inaugural National Summit on School Safety. In-person Trainings to New Regions: The Safe School team trained school staff in 4 new regions across the state – Austin, Huntsville, Laredo and Victoria.Follow-up Assessments: To reinforce safety messaging after middle and high school student presentations, the Safe School Institute implemented follow-up assessments for Cyber Safety, Human Trafficking, Teen Dating Safety, and Substance Abuse Prevention presentations. Partnered with the FBI to Combat Hoax Threats -- In partnership with the FBI, the Safe School team put on a Hoax Threats PSA contest that aimed toendhoax threats by educating community youth on the consequencesofmaking hoax threats against schools.Newin 2019, Safe Community Program:In an effort to keep up with prevalent crimes in the GreaterHouston Area, the Safe Community Program was proud to unveil its YoungProfessionals Group, Human Trafficking Bus Tours, Self-Defense Workshops, andcreated Crime Prevention-Related Videos for distribution in 2019. See belowfor a breakdown of these programs:Young Professionals Group – As our services continued to grow and the community became an increasingly integral piece to our mission, we realized there was an important demographic missing: young professionals. In 2019, we made it top priority to engage the next generation and Crime Stoppers of Houston’s first-ever Young Professionals Group (YPG) was born. At approximately 75 members after just a year of activity, the YPG is a membership organization of passionate young professionals in their 20’s and 30’s whose purpose is to support the mission of Crime Stoppers of Houston through fundraising, volunteering and increasing public awareness of Crime Stoppers of Houston’s crime prevention efforts. Members enjoy networking and social events, as well as volunteer and leadership development opportunities.Bus Tours – In partnership with Elijah Rising, human trafficking bus tours of high-probability trafficking areas in Houston are offered quarterly. This is an opportunity for community members (18 ) to learn about current human trafficking trends and to see for themselves what human trafficking looks like in our city.Self-Defense Workshops – Offered on an ongoing basis, these hands-on self-defense classes are designed to teach basic skills and moves to protect yourself from danger. These trainings cover situational awareness, a plan of action in the face of danger, tools to quickly evaluate the situation, and simple self-defense skills for close range encounters.Crime Prevention Videos -- Throughout the year, the Safe Community team created and distributed crime prevention videos on various topics including animal safety, mental health, summer safety, financial crimes and more.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, Crime Stoppers of Houston, Inc. program expenses were:
Program services | $3,536,049 |
Program Expenses | $3,536,049 |
Governance & Staff
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CEO
Ms. Rania Mankarious, Chief Executive Officer
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Board Chair
Mr. Justin Vickrey, Senior Vice-President
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Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Allegiance Bank
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Board Size
40
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Paid Staff Size
14
Fundraising
Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fundraising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Grant proposals, Internet, Appeals via Social Media (Facebook, etc.).
% of Related Contributions on Fundraising: 5.79%
Tax Status
This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
Financial
The following information is based on Crime Stoppers of Houston, Inc.'s Audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021
Source of Funds | |
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Government grants (Note 10) | $2,049,430 |
In-kind donations (Note 11) | $1,505,609 |
Special Events | $1,240,825 |
Other contributions | $937,003 |
Award reversion | $188,275 |
Court rewards | $90,204 |
Court administrative fund | $22,551 |
Net investment return | $-974 |
Direct donor benefit costs | $-141,284 |
Total Income | $5,891,639 |
Breakdown of Expenses
Total Income | $5,891,639 |
Total Expenses: | $4,090,963 |
Program Expenses | $3,536,049 |
Fundraising Expenses | $328,729 |
Administrative Expenses | $226,185 |
Other Expenses | $0 |
Income in Excess of Expenses | $1,800,676 |
Beginning Net Assets | $11,896,125 |
Other Changes In Net Assets | $0 |
Ending Net Assets | $13,696,801 |
Total Liabilities | $1,201,047 |
Total Assets | $14,897,848 |
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