Better Business Bureau

Charity Contact Information BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments Programs

Tax Status Governance Fund Raising Financial

Name:	Life Skills
Address:	10176 Corporate Square Dr., Suite 100
	St. Louis, MO 63132
Phone:	314-567-7705
Web Address:	www.lifeskills-stl.org
Also known as: Life Skills Foundation

Life Skills (LS) meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Life Skills supports more than 1,500 young people and adults with developmental disabilities in St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County through a variety of programs. Its Community Living Services support almost 500 people with developmental disabilities as they live independently in their own homes in the community. Services may be lifelong and include various skill-building opportunities in areas such as safety, personal budgets, housekeeping, personal care and nutrition. Life Skills’ staff works in clients' homes, offering training and assistance whenever needed, ranging from 24 hours a day to just a few hours each month. Employment Services assist nearly 450 people with developmental disabilities as they find and maintain competitive employment. These one-on-one services provide individualized skill assessments, job-development opportunities, job coaching and job-retention supports. Through its Employment Services, Life Skills' employment specialists match qualified applicants with meaningful employment, and they continue to support their clients as they remain on the job. In fact, 275 of their clients earn a paycheck with more than 175 local corporations. Life Skills’ Community Connections Services are offered Monday through Friday, providing daytime program services for almost 40 people with more significant disabilities. Activities and training focus on community integration and increasing prevocational and community-based employment skills. Its Community Access Training Services are designed to assist people with developmental disabilities as they prepare for future employment and community volunteerism activities. This one-on-one training focuses on developing a career plan, building communication skills, learning how to use various forms of transportation services and accessing community resources. These skills empower more than 375 of our clients to obtain employment or volunteer positions, leading toward greater independence in the community. Summer Employment Services secure jobs for approximately 150 high school students with developmental disabilities who are returning to school in the fall. To continue building skills during the summer months, students are placed in a job in the community and work 20 hours per week for up to eight weeks. Life Skills provides job coaching to help these individuals succeed, while they earn a paycheck and gain skills for future competitive employment.

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, LS's program expenses were:

Community Living	16,265,029
Employment Services	1,189,624
Community Access Services	721,653
Day Programs	601,706
Property Management	515,989
Total Program Expenses:	$19,294,001

Chief Executive : Wendy Sullivan, President

Compensation*:

$136,058

Chair of the Board: Matthew Goldenberg
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: US Bancorp Investments, Inc.

Board Size: 27

Paid Staff Size: 632

*Compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:

direct mail, invitations to fund raising events, print advertisements, television, radio, grant proposals, internet, planned giving arrangements, cause-related marketing, newsletters

Fund raising costs were 2% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $21,702,301, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)

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.

The following information is based on LS's audited financial statements - consolidated for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011.

Source of Funds
Community Living	18,384,175
Employment Services	1,103,820
Community Access Services	719,151
Day Programs	579,822
Special Events	531,899
Investment Income	475,132
Property	464,404
Contributions	383,434
Miscellaneous	65,025
Total Income	$22,706,862

Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 87%  Fund Raising: 2%  Administrative: 11%

Total income				$22,706,862
	Program expenses			$19,294,001
	Fund raising expenses			436,840
	Administrative expenses			2,424,421
Total expenses				$22,155,262
Income in Excess of Expenses				551,600
Beginning net assets				4,581,094
Ending net assets				5,587,238
Total liabilities				4,297,453
Total assets				$9,884,691