Congratulations to Touch Stones Financial Wellness Services!

The Standards for Excellence Institute congratulates Touch Stones Financial Wellness Services for earning the Standards basics recognition under the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector.

To earn the Standards basics recognition, Touch Stones Financial Wellness Services went through an application process, which included a review by Standards of Excellence Institute staff to verify that Touch Stones Financial Wellness Services has strong policies in place for good governance and legal compliance and a well-defined mission with impactful programs.

Touch Stones Financial Wellness Services’ mission is to “Improve, strengthen and enrich the lives of low & moderate-income families by providing financial counseling & literacy programs that empower individuals to pursue their goals, allowing them to achieve financial stability, capability, and self-sufficiency.” They serve individuals of color, single-parent households, college students, individuals with disabilities, and older adults in the greater Howard County area, as well as parts of Laurel and Anne Arundel County.

Touch Stones Financial Wellness Services’ programs include Financial Counseling to assist individuals in developing behaviors to become financially self-sufficient and establishing Basic Money Management skills. Their Financial Literacy Programs provide workshops and webinars on topics to build financial skills on debt repayment, managing and rebuilding credit, building savings, student loan repayment, avoiding identity theft, and understanding bankruptcy.

Renee R. McElroy, Executive Director, shared, “Touch Stones used the Standards for Excellence as its road map of how to not only conduct everyday business, but also to engage with the individuals we serve.

As a small nonprofit, it is important that our organization is not only organized, but also knowledgeable and informed. The Standards for Excellence provided that for me. It started by allowing me to go through the assessment, which showed me where our strengths were and where our weaknesses were. They then allowed us to bring our nonprofit to the Basic Standards.

When I started this nonprofit, it was to help those who did not have access to these services. I wanted to be the “hope” that they needed when they had lost all hope. The Standards of Excellence has allowed me to ensure that I am providing quality service and that I am doing it with integrity. Thank you to the Standards for Excellence Institute and Maryland Nonprofits for assisting me in this journey.”

Congratulations again to Touch Stones Financial Wellness Services for this achievement.

The Standards for Excellence Institute encourages all nonprofits to check out the Standards for Excellence code and consider applying for accreditation or recognition. A good starting point is the free online self-assessment, which provides a detailed, actionable report, along with links to resources. The Standards for Excellence Institute is a project of Maryland Nonprofits.