Who

JARC is a $12 million, 300 employee, Michigan-based nonprofit agency.  For 45 years, JARC has been dedicated to enabling people with disabilities to live full, dignified lives in the community, and to providing support and advocacy for their families. JARC operates 20 group homes and a variety of independent living programs for adults, and serves more than 450 families who have a child or adult with a disability who is living at home.

The Challenge

JARC has an extremely strong donor base, raising approximately 17% of its annual revenue through private donations.  While JARC was grateful for the generosity of these individuals, it also realized its over-reliance on this source of capital and was motivated to identify potential sources of earned income.

How We Helped

Mission Throttle provided JARC with the framework to think about their organization differently.  JARC knew that it had many program strengths, but it was unsure how to maximize the impact of these initiatives. Mission Throttle assisted JARC to explore new ways of exporting and monetizing its expertise, knowledge, and reputation, while meeting the current and future needs of people with disabilities. Mission Throttle helped implement strategies that focused on expense reduction and operational improvement, focusing on opportunities in their existing platform as well as potential new programs and social enterprises.

The Results

We assessed that while JARC’s impeccable services and programs have high impact on the people it serves, its continued programmatic success is dependent upon establishing a better balance between mission and money. Within months, Mission Throttle helped JARC improve near-term liquidity, develop an organizational dashboard, revise their employee compensation structure, and analyze the financial impact of various programs. After implementing the recommended changes, JARC’s financial outlook is positive and the organization is positioned to explore future opportunities that will lead to long-term success.

“The strength, expertise and depth of your team, coupled with JARC’s knowledge and passion in our field has been transformational for our organization in countless and substantive ways.”

— Rick Loewenstein, CEO, JARC