We recognize that our clients and donors, as well as our partners and grantees, expect the Foundation to provide timely, courteous and professional services. Last year, we implemented new organization-wide service standards that led to improved client satisfaction and engagement, and we continued to invest in technology and process improvements to make our services efficient and cost effective.

Nowhere is this more evident than in our scholarship program that continues to see an increase in the number of applicants each year, growing from 4,897 to 7,620 over the past 5 years. Over that period, we managed the scholarship program with the same number of staff, augmented by temporary help and volunteers, while compressing our processes so students have more time to apply and hear about their awards at an earlier date.

The bar graphs show our growth in other selected metrics over the last three years. Over the same period, our operating expenses grew by 7 percent.