Legal Services of Southern Missouri
Meets Standards
Standards For Charity Accountability
Governance
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Board Oversight
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Board Size
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Board Meetings
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Board Compensation
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Conflict of Interest
Measuring Effectiveness
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Effectiveness Policy
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Effectiveness Report
Finances
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Program Expenses
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Fundraising Expenses
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Accumulating Funds
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Audit Report
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Detailed Expense Breakdown
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Accurate Expense Reporting
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Budget Plan
Fundraising & Info
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Truthful Materials
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Annual Report
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Website Disclosures
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Donor Privacy
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Cause Marketing Disclosures
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Complaints
Legal Services of Southern Missouri meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
Stated Purpose:
"To provide quality legal representation and advice to low-income individuals and families to ensure equal access to justice in civil matters."
Year, State Incorporated:
1976, MO
Also Known As:
Legal Aid Association, Greene County, Missouri, LSSM
Legal Services of Southern Missouri is a private, not-for-profit corporation providing case representation and advice in civil matters to individuals over 60 years of age and low-income persons as defined by government poverty-level guidelines with emphasis on family violence cases. In 1974, the United States Congress established the Legal Services Corporation to assure equal access to justice under the law for all Americans. The Greene County Bar Association identified the strong need to assist poor persons in Southern Missouri and established the Legal Aid Association of Greene County in 1976. Funding for the new organization was obtained by an Older Americans Act grant through the Southwest Missouri Area Agency on Aging. Following that time, the organization was successful in obtaining funding through Legal Services Corporation grants. Legal Services of Southern Missouri monitors client satisfaction through various quality control measures ensuring that the client always receives the highest standard of services. The service area includes the counties of Barry, Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cedar, Christian, Crawford, Dade, Dallas, Dent, Douglas, Dunklin, Gasconade, Greene, Howell, Iron, Laclede, Lawrence, Madison, Maries, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Reynolds, Ripley, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard, Stone, Taney, Texas, Wayne, Webster, and Wright. There are eight offices in the service area providing a mixed delivery system including staff attorneys, judicare programs, pro bono programs, and contract services. Each office has a staff to screen applications for assistance and provide legal services to clients. Currently, we employ 17 staff attorneys and outsource cases to over 332 private attorneys participating in the judicare program and 147 private attorneys participating in the pro bono program in the 43-county area covered by Legal Services of Southern Missouri. Legal Services of Southern Missouri pays all attorney fees; however, due to limited funding, we are not able to accept every application for assistance; therefore, we prioritize cases based upon the circumstances of the individual.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, Legal Services of Southern Missouri's program expenses were:
| Programs | $5,658,252 |
| Total Program Expenses | $5,658,252 |
Chief Executive
Steven Kellogg, Executive Director
Chair of the Board
Mary Boner
Board Size
24
Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Grant proposals, Cause-related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.)
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 Legal Services of Southern Missouri's IRS Form 990 for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Source of Funds
| Contributions and Grants | $5,939,042 |
| Investment Income | $1,468,864 |
| Other Support | $4,140 |
| Total Income | $7,412,046 |
Programs: 69% Fundraising: 1% Administrative: 29%
| Total Income | $7,412,046 |
| Total expenses: | $8,147,178 |
| Program expenses | $5,658,252 |
| Fundraising expenses | $118,267 |
| Administrative expenses | $2,370,659 |
| Other expenses | $0 |
| Income in Excess of Expenses | $-735,132 |
| Beginning Net Assets | $42,241,984 |
| Other Changes In Net Assets | $1,462,939 |
| Ending Net Assets | $42,969,791 |
| Total Liabilities | $967,122 |
| Total Assets | $43,936,913 |
An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.
This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.
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Meets Standards
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Standards Not Met
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Did Not Disclose
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Review in Progress
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Unable to Verify
Report completed by:
BBB of Eastern & Southwest Missouri & Southern Illinois