As a prospective transformational donor, it is important for you to have access to all the information you need to evaluate Parham-Hurst International Girls Society (PHIGS) as a charitable organization. For your benefit, we have summarized, from our Bylaws, the provisions for organizational structure and financial accountability. As a newly founded non-profit (September 19, 2024), we understand the extra measure of due diligence required to establish trust with our donors. We hope that by accessing this resource and visiting our About Us page to review our distinguished group of advisors you will find assurance that PHIGS is worthy of your consideration.
PHIGS Organizational Structure and Accountability
- Clear Purpose and Mission (Article I): PHIGS is organized to create a safe, family-oriented residential environment focused on the holistic well-being and empowerment of girls, driven by Christ-centered compassion and love. This focused mission guides all organizational activities.
- Independent and Qualified Board of Directors (Article IV): PHIGS is governed by a Board of Directors, ranging from 6 to 9 members, ensuring diverse perspectives and strategic oversight. Bylaws mandate a majority of independent directors, preventing undue influence from compensated staff. Staggered three-year terms and term limits for directors ensure fresh perspectives and prevent stagnation, fostering continuous improvement and robust governance.
- Rigorous Board Oversight and Standards of Care (Article IV): The Board holds significant power over the organization's direction and management. Directors are legally bound to a high "Standard of Care," acting in good faith and with prudence in the best interests of PHIGS. They have full inspection rights, ensuring transparency and enabling active monitoring of organizational operations.
- Defined Officer Roles and Executive Compensation Review (Article VI & IV): Clear officer roles (Chair, CEO, Secretary, Treasurer) with defined responsibilities ensure operational accountability. Crucially, the executive compensation package for the CEO is subject to mandatory Board review and approval, guaranteeing just and reasonable compensation and preventing conflicts of interest.
- Robust Committee Structure Including Mandatory Audit Committee (Article V): The bylaws authorize the establishment of Board Committees, allowing for focused expertise and efficient oversight in critical areas. Notably, in any year where PHIGS exceeds $2 million in revenue, a mandatory Audit Committee with independent members is required. This committee ensures independent financial oversight, recommends auditors, negotiates fees, reviews audit findings, and approves non-audit services, strengthening financial accountability.
- Prohibition of Self-Dealing and Loans to Insiders (Article VII): The bylaws explicitly prohibit loans to directors and officers and strictly regulate self-dealing transactions. Any potential self-dealing must undergo rigorous scrutiny and Board approval to ensure fairness and benefit to PHIGS, or requires court or Attorney General approval, safeguarding donor funds and upholding ethical standards.
- Comprehensive Financial Reporting and Audits (Article IX): PHIGS is committed to financial transparency. Annual reports detailing assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and significant transactions, all in line with publicly available Form 990 filings beyond 2025.
- Accountability through Bylaw Amendment Process (Article IX): Amendments to bylaws require a majority or unanimous consent of the Board, ensuring stability and deliberate decision-making regarding organizational governance.
PHIGS' Governance: How we S.O.A.R.
The successful execution of PHIGS’ growth plan requires strong, engaged governance and focused management. Given the mission and particular importance of each girl's needs on her journey from harm to wholeness, we employ a systematic approach to ensure the PHIGS context of care is second-to-none. It's our understanding that a successful system must have great governance.
The PHIGS Governance Board consists of a minimum of 6 members, but may have up to 9 members at any time. The Governance Board meets quarterly for regular meetings, but may meet more often if needed. The Governance Board provides direct oversight to the Executive Director and actively manages the relationships with transformational donors, key advisors, and advocates.
Our purpose is to create a staff-secure, family-oriented private residential care environment where girls are free from harm and exploitation and are likewise free to achieve agency in all areas of their lives: physically, spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally.
In particular, our goal for survivors who have been abandoned, is to provide immediate shelter for their physical and mental well-being, including but not limited to, food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care and other services as needed. Subsequently, we work to establish legal guardianship as soon as possible to provide the family security and stability every girl needs. Furthermore, we aim to accomplish all of the above through Christ-centered compassion and a consistent demonstration of God’s steadfast love for each girl and the Society as a whole.
Along with providing oversight of the Executive Director and the Executive, Steering, and Finance Committees, the Governance Board is also responsible for establishing broad policies that affect all PHIGS stakeholders, advocating for the PHIGS’ mission, and providing strategic guidance to the organization.
Additionally, indirect care comes from 5-key points of service and support to the girls: administrative staff, operations staff, outside advisors, third-party advocates, and transformational donors who financially give at a sustaining level so all of the above can happen without a hitch. In total, PHIGS benefits from a rigorous commitment to accountability, redundant layers of review and through regularly posing to ourselves the most important question, "What's best for the girls?"
All-in-all, the “9-Point” culture of PHIGS is designed to provide trauma-informed safety for the girls, accountability for the staff and transparency for donors and the Governance Board. In summary, for PHIGS to S.O.A.R. in a long-term, multigenerational sense, we foster a culture of regular and open reviews in each department and between operational teams.
As the organization grows, it will be even more important to continue hiring the right staff, rebalance the organization’s structure in each future phase to support growth, formalize our core processes for consistency across the organization, and to continue building a culture of exceptional survivor-centered care year-after-year.
