Table of Contents
The Problem
We have a problem in Canada
- 10.1% of Canadians have unmet housing needs and are experiencing chronic homelessness (StatsCan, 2021)
- That’s nearly 4 million people living in poverty or approximately and over 1 million families
- An estimated 842,000 Canadians are living in subsidized housing, with a waitlist of 227,000 (StatsCan, 2021)
- When people living in poverty do access housing – they often have no beds to sleep on, places to sit at, desks to study at, or pots and pans to cook with. This is furniture poverty.
We can't ignore it any longer
- United Way estimates 116,000+ GTA individuals and families are struggling to put a roof over their heads
- Toronto is the poverty capital of Canada, with one in seven residents worried about the finances of having a roof over their head.
- Approximately 42,000 housing units are still needed to service real demand
- Our research shows each person moving into an empty apartment requires a minimum of $8,000 in available funds to turn empty housing into a furnished established home
Your support makes an impact
- In 2025, Furniture Bank helped over 7,670 individuals turn their empty house into a furnished home.
- Since we were founded, with your help and generosity, we have given over 146,000 individuals and their families a new start on life with the gift of a furnished home.
But we can all do more
- We estimate there are 25,000 households that require our programs and service each year – let’s work together to ensure everyone has the dignity and comfort of a furnished home
Our Impact Strategy
Who is Furniture Bank?
Since 1998, Furniture Bank has matched unwanted furniture & homewares to individuals and families seeking to create a new home while transitioning out of homelessness or other forms of displacement. While Furniture Bank clients will have secured affordable housing, these families lack the assets to transform their new housing into a home. A person or a family without the financial means to make their housing into a home are said to live in Furniture Poverty.
Our mission and vision
Our vision
A Canada in which everyone has the stability and dignity of a furnished home.
Our mission
Our mission is to break the cycle of furniture poverty. Furniture Bank, a social enterprise-powered charity, transfers unwanted furniture and household goods donated by the community to people who are coming out of crisis. Our programs work in partnership with over 150 community agencies and shelters to assist people who are economically vulnerable including women and children leaving shelters, the formerly homeless, Indigenous, those struggling with mental health, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, newcomers and refugees who require furniture and household goods for their homes, a service that enhances both psychological and financial stability.
What is furniture poverty?
When someone doesn’t have the means to procure a bed, or a table, or a couch, or other home essentials, they are living in furniture poverty.
- Without a bed, children sleep on piles of clothes on the floor.
- Without a table, families eat their meals on milk crates.
- Empty housing is not a home.
Furniture poverty has devastating effects on mental and physical health, and often results in people returning to crisis.
There are harmful physical, emotional, and financial consequences of furniture poverty.
Furniture poverty is a continuum:
- Furniture Insecurity: A household has the items they need for now. If something essential breaks or needs replacing, they do not have the means to do so. These households are often moving from one crisis to another.
- Furniture Destitution: Where a household has none or very few of the basic items needed. In a long-term, chronic situation.
Furniture Poverty affects too many low-income people in Canada, many of which are formerly homeless, women and children escaping abusive situations, and newcomer families and refugees.
Our Theory of Change
The model is composed of interconnecting stakeholders:
- Individuals and families in furniture poverty
- The agencies, community organizations, or shelters supporting these individuals.
- The social employment jobs within Furniture Bank to ‘deliver the mission’
- Canadian households and businesses
- Home furnishings and home goods able to be reused to address furniture poverty.
- Social enterprise services that address the needs of stakeholders above.
- The environment reducing landfill use through reuse and supporting a Circular Economy for business.
- Other furniture poverty reuse organizations connected into the Furniture Bank Network.
All of these services work together in alignment with our Theory of Change, which outlines how we’re driving impact to match our vision and informs the decisions we make around development and growth. More on how we developed our Theory of Change can be found via Innoweave’s case study on Furniture Bank.
OUR ACTIVITIES
How do we make an impact?
At Furniture Bank, we believe that every successful home starts with the right ingredients. Our recipe for success combines the dedication of our team, the support of our facilities, and the power of community engagement. We measure our impact through the lives we change and the homes we transform. To ensure we can continue our mission, we invest in protecting our work, storing donated furniture, partnering with delivery services, and transporting essential items. These critical program-focused expenditures allow us to collect, safeguard, and deliver the furniture that brings comfort and dignity to families in need.
By staying connected with our community, maintaining financial accountability, and planning for the future, we uphold the trust of our supporters and ensure the long-term sustainability of our organization. Through spreading awareness and partnering with our dedicated supporters, we inspire others to join our cause. Empowering our team with technology and providing them with the necessary tools and resources keep our operations running smoothly, while growing our team ensures we have the passionate individuals needed to carry out our mission.
Together, these ingredients create a recipe for success that enables Furniture Bank to transform empty houses into welcoming homes filled with hope and possibility. By investing in our people, our spaces, and our community, we continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.
Key programs are prominently showcased and thoroughly explained:
- Homing Program: This core program, highlighted in the “How We Make an Impact” section, details the process of collecting, processing, and delivering over 50,000 furniture items annually to families transitioning out of homelessness or displacement.
- Social Employment Programs: The website highlights Furniture Bank’s commitment to social good through its “Leg Up” program and the trucking social enterprise. These programs offer work experience, skills training, and meaningful employment opportunities for individuals facing barriers.
- Collaborating with IKEA: This expanding partnership, detailed on the webpage, traces how a successful 2020 pilot with IKEA Canada grew into a three-year service agreement covering all six GTA locations, diverting over 11,000 mattresses and thousands of additional furniture items from landfill in 2025 alone while creating meaningful employment for individuals facing barriers to work.
- Furniture Bank Support Services (FBSS): This national initiative, explained in detail on the webpage, demonstrates Furniture Bank’s commitment to expanding its impact by providing a cloud-based platform and support services to other reuse charities across Canada.
1. HOMING PROGRAM
Turning Empty Housing into Furnished Homes
At the heart of Furniture Bank is our Homing Program, representing 75% of expenses this the driving force behind our mission to end furniture poverty. We understand that securing housing is just the first step towards a fresh start. That’s why we go beyond simply providing shelter – we provide the essential furnishings that transform empty spaces into welcoming homes.
Defining Homing:
VERB
The act of transforming empty housing into a nurturing and personalized environment, creating a sense of belonging and stability through the intentional addition of furniture, personal items, and community support.
Here’s how our Homing Program works:
- Collecting Donations: Generous individuals and families across the GTA donate gently-used furniture and household items. We carefully inspect and sort every donation to ensure quality and safety for our client families.
- Matching Needs: We collaborate with over 320 community agencies and shelters who refer individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness, escaping abusive situations, or starting anew in Canada.
- Creating New Beginnings: Our dedicated team and volunteers work tirelessly to match each family’s needs with the perfect furnishings. We provide everything from beds and sofas to kitchen tables and lamps, ensuring they have the essentials for a comfortable and dignified start.
- Delivering Hope: Our reliable delivery teams, staffed through our social enterprise programs, transport and set up the furniture directly in the families’ new homes, making the transition as smooth and stress-free as possible.
What HOMING looks like in your community
“From my home to a new home in 72 hours – Furniture Bank’s cycle time is incredible! Seeing Salesforce in use like this is deeply impactful for my team of volunteers today”
Chris Morra, Salesforce Volunteer
2. Leg Up Social Employment Program
At Furniture Bank, we believe in creating opportunities that empower individuals and strengthen communities. That’s why we go beyond providing furniture – we invest in people. Our social employment programs provide meaningful work experience, valuable skills training, and pathways to long-term employment for individuals facing barriers.
Leg Up Program: A Hand Up, Not a Handout
Our Leg Up program is a stepping stone to success. We partner with local employment agencies to offer a hand-up, not a handout, to individuals facing challenges entering the workforce. Participants gain experience in diverse roles across our operations, including:
- Warehouse Management
- Furniture Repair
- Trucking and Delivery
- Customer Service
- Accounting and Administration
- Family Services
- Social Enterprise Development
In 2025, the Leg Up program provided 45 full-time equivalent positions, embedded in all roles, with staff distribution being:
- 40% trucking social enterprises
- 20% homing program
- 20% repair workshop
- 15% sales, service and marketing
- 5% accounting and administrative
But Leg Up is much more than just a job placement program. We provide:
- Hands-on Experience: Participants gain practical, marketable skills in a supportive environment.
- Life and Skills Training: We offer workshops on financial literacy, conflict resolution, communication skills, and more, equipping participants with essential tools for success beyond the workplace.
- Wraparound Support: We provide personalized coaching, mentorship, and access to resources that address individual needs, fostering personal and professional growth.
Trucking Social Enterprise: Driving Change
Our Trucking Social Enterprise delivers more than just furniture – it delivers opportunity. Our trained and certified drivers provide reliable and efficient furniture pickup and delivery services for donors, clients, and corporate partners.
- Professional Services: In 2025, our team redistributed 78,443 furniture items and served 7,670 individual clients, 3,535 households, and 1,207 families.
- Employment Pathways: We prioritize hiring individuals from our Leg Up program, providing them with valuable experience and a pathway to financial independence.
- Sustainable Revenue: The revenue generated through our trucking social enterprise directly supports our Homing Program and other social impact initiatives.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that Furniture Bank has given me by investing in my work ethic rather than my history, and providing me with the tools to develop career skills. It has been very rewarding being able to experience and contribute to the front line of client interaction, delivering to people in need and picking up donations from people who want to help. Being able to do that while being a part of an organization that is learning and growing has been nothing short of inspiring!”
Tom, Leg Up employee
3. Collaborating with IKEA
After a successful 2020 pilot with IKEA Canada in which they redirected furniture destined for landfill to Furniture Bank families, we have expanded and formalized this project.
We now have a comprehensive three-year service agreement covering all six GTA locations. In 2025 alone, our Leg Up team sorted, processed, and redistributed 11,167 IKEA mattresses — a 58% increase over the previous year, and enough to fill four Olympic swimming pools — alongside thousands of additional furniture items and home goods that would otherwise have ended up in landfill. As IKEA donations continue to grow, so does our capacity to create meaningful employment: every increase in volume directly translates into more hours, more training, and more pathways to stable work for individuals who have faced barriers to employment, 73% of whom were unemployed before joining our team.
In 2025 alone, we diverted 11,167 IKEA mattresses from landfill, equivalent to four Olympic swimming pools and a 58% increase over 2024, along with 18,737 total IKEA items and homegoods. This work contributed meaningfully to the 5,459.95 tonnes of carbon Furniture Bank abated in 2025, the equivalent of 9,597 barrels of oil, 191,007 mature trees planted, or 939 cars removed from the road. With donations projected to increase again in 2026, this partnership continues to transform surplus into stability for thousands of GTA households.
All of these services work together in alignment with our Theory of Change, which outlines how we’re driving impact to match our vision and informs the decisions we make around development and growth. More on how we developed our Theory of Change can be found via Innoweave’s case study on Furniture Bank.
4. Furniture Banking Support Services
Scaling Impact, Transforming Lives Across Canada
At Furniture Bank, we’ve spent over 25 years proving that a furnished home can be a catalyst for positive change in the lives of individuals and families. Now, we’re scaling our impact nationwide through Furniture Banking Support Services (FBSS), a strategic initiative designed to empower like-minded organizations and create a Canada where everyone has access to this fundamental resource. Three organizations (Barrie, Ottawa, Winnipeg) have formally signed on to FBSS.
The Power of Partnership:
FBSS is built on the belief that collaboration amplifies impact. We recognize that many organizations across Canada share our vision but may lack the infrastructure, technology, or resources to reach their full potential. FBSS bridges this gap by providing a comprehensive suite of services, including:
- Cutting-Edge Technology: Our robust, cloud-based platform, built on Salesforce, streamlines operations, enhances data collection and reporting, and empowers data-driven decision-making for increased efficiency and impact.
- Proven Expertise: We offer best-practice sharing, customized training, and ongoing support, leveraging our decades of experience to help partners optimize their programs and maximize their resources.
- Network of Changemakers: FBSS fosters a collaborative network of furniture banks across Canada, creating opportunities for shared learning, innovation, and collective advocacy to address systemic challenges.
- Furniture Bank Network: A collaborative network promoting sustainable business models and facilitating access to national funding and corporate partnerships.
Investing in Sustainable Impact:
FBSS represents a strategic investment in a proven model with the potential for exponential growth. By supporting FBSS, funders and capacity builders can:
- Scale Impact Nationally: Expand the reach of furniture banking services to underserved communities across Canada, creating a ripple effect of positive change.
- Drive Measurable Results: Our robust data collection and impact measurement framework provides transparency and accountability, demonstrating the tangible outcomes of your investment.
- Foster Sector Leadership: Position Canada as a global leader in addressing furniture poverty through a collaborative and innovative approach.
Support Services 2025 Outputs
Metrics:
- Individuals Supported (2025): 7,153 individuals across Canada (outside of Toronto) received furnishings through the National Impact Network.
- Children Supported (2025): 2,534 children benefited from the program.
- Furniture Items Distributed (2025): Over 78,443 items of essential furnishings were distributed to families in need.
- Total Individuals Impacted Since 2019: Furniture Bank’s national efforts have positively impacted the lives of 66,464 individuals across the GTA and the rest of Canada.
OUR IMPACTS
Where your donations go
We collect over 70,000 furniture items annually across the Greater Toronto Area. The 2,500 families we serve each year who receive furniture and home goods from us are transitioning out of homelessness, escaping abusive situations, and/or have recently arrived in Canada. We work with over 150 agencies to assist people who are economically vulnerable including women and children leaving shelters, the formerly homeless, Indigenous, those struggling with mental health, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, newcomers and refugees.
Beneficiaries supported
OUR TORONTO OUTPUTS
- Items and inventory tracked in Salesforce for each client family, confirmed delivery to final home.
- Unique households or businesses providing items for furnishing homes in Homing Program.
- Family is defined as unique family unit (could be family unit of 1 person or a family unit of 16 people). Average family size is 2.3 people per family.
- Total number of community agencies, shelters, and other social purpose groups providing support services for groups. This number represents the referrals from these agencies.
- Furniture Bank has a standardized grid of values of inkind values per items collected from donors. This is the total value.
- Our employment figure for the Leg Up program is comprised of those currently employed at Furniture Bank and those who have left Furniture Bank. during the period and role replaced.
- Includes assembled furniture from an IKEA donation.
OUR NATIONAL LIFETIME OUTPUTS
Barrie Simcoe County Outputs
Ottawa Region Outputs
Winnipeg Area Outputs
OUR 2026 OUTPUT GOALS
Since we were founded in 1998, our ultimate goal has always been to help create a Canada in which everyone has access to a furnished home. That vision remains the same and acts as the north star for our team and the work we do. However, with over 50,000 Torontonians experiencing furniture poverty annually and 13% of Canadians having unmet housing needs, our focus is aimed at helping both locally and across Canada.
In 2025, Furniture Bank is set to significantly expand its Furniture Bank Network and enhance its offerings and communities using our Furniture Banking Support Services. Our goal is to extend our collaborative platform to more re-use charities and lower their administration burden while providing them social enterprise opportunities and cloud-based capabilities they could not accomplish without collaborating.
Our next 5 years goals include:
- Create the capacity within our existing facility to support 5,000 families as we explore 7-day-a-week operations.
- Add an additional 5 charity organizations onto our cloud-based impact platform and support an additional 2,000 families through this service.
- Begin assessing how social finance can support purchasing a larger facility and permanent home for Furniture Bank. This includes raising $2-3 million for the purchase.
Impact in their own words
Beneficiaries supported
“I woke up this morning as if I was in a dream. I still can’t believe this is my home and I get to live here – that my babies have an actual bed to sleep in. I don’t have to move anymore; I am home. God Bless you, for all that you do.”
Sarah, Furniture Bank Beneficiary
With a furnished home my life has stability now. My self-confidence has grown and this has had a great impact in my professional and personal growth.
Lucinda, Program Beneficiary
“Most of our families do not have access to furniture due to circumstances beyond their control and if it wasn’t for Furniture Bank they would not be able to resettle back into the community. This is a critical service for the most vulnerable in our society creating conditions for the good mental and physical health of our families. This week Furniture Bank provided and a sofa and sleep sets for a single mum and her son who previously had been sitting on garden chairs, and using clothing to nest on the floor”
Case Worker Focus Group
OUR OUTCOMES
2025 Social Return on Investment
We hire a third party independent consultant to verify our processes:
In 2026, Furniture Bank engaged an independent Impact Measurement Consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of our 2025 program results and initiate a social audit of our processes. This external evaluation has provided valuable insights and recommendations to enhance the rigor and transparency of our impact measurement practices. The consultant’s report, available for download on our website, provides a detailed analysis of our Social Return on Investment (SROI), demonstrating that for every $1 invested in Furniture Bank, $6.38 in measurable social, environmental, and economic value was created in 2025.
We assess Short, Medium and Longterm outcomes:
Having a furnished home creates profound impacts immediately, and over the long term. Furniture Bank has ongoing processes that are capturing feedback, follow up, and changes in impacts on short term (30 days), medium term (months) and long-term (years) impacts of having a furnished home (vs empty space). This feedback is connected into the annual SROI model discussed below and reevaluated for updates annually.
Monetary valuation of Furniture Bank’s impact
By combining Furniture Bank’s internal data, rightsholder group surveys, open data and evaluation findings, we calculated the value of Furniture Bank’s social impact in 2025 to be $65.8 million. Beyond the value generated in 2025, several positive impacts will continue, valued at an additional $55 million. With that, the total social value generated through Furniture Bank’s activities in 2025 is $120,614,497.
When considering Furniture Bank’s 2025 Social Return on Investment (SROI), operational costs as well as the value of donated furniture and volunteer hours, the ratio of social value generated to the value of inputs were considered. For every $1 invested into Furniture Bank in 2025, $6.38 in measurable social, environmental, and economic value has been created.
When assigning financial value against impacts, several reliable, recent, and relevant references have been used, and a triangulated approach has been adopted, i.e. government financial costs, social value banks, rightsholder consultation, and research and interviews within the relevant sector.
The SROI is based on the Total Present Value generated through Furniture Bank’s activities between January 1st – December 31st 2025, and the total value of inputs in the same period, including costs to Furniture Bank, furniture donors, and volunteers.
Social Value generated by rightsholder groups
Rightsholder Groups in 2025
- 7,670 individual clients and 3,535 households received furniture
- 186 social service agencies across Toronto referred their clients to Furniture Bank
- 249 case workers & frontline staff from social service agencies worked directly with Furniture Bank to support their clients’ needs
- 10,323 individuals donated their furniture
- Over 5,460 of tCO2e abated as a result of diverted furniture tonnes
- 33 people volunteered their time regularly
- 1,381 corporate volunteers participated in the volunteering program
- Provincial and federal governments benefitted through the tax income through Social Employment Program participants employment
Aligned with Canadian Standards
Social Value by activity by program
Social Value by activity by Rightsholder
Client outcomes
In 2025, Furniture Bank served 7,670 individual clients, 3,535 households, and 1,207 families.
In order to gain an understanding of the impact of our furniture provision services on our clients, we invited our clients to participate in an online survey 90 days after their furniture was delivered. The survey was based on the outcomes we identified in 2024 through our collaboration with the Rapid Rehousing Initiative – Coordinated Access and our partner social service agencies.
The outcomes used in the 2025 SROI analysis are categorized into four impact themes:
Social service agencies outcomes
In order to gain an understanding of the impact of working with Furniture Bank on social service agencies and their staff in 2025, we invited them to participate in an online annual survey in the beginning of 2026. The survey was based on the outcomes we identified through the focus group interviews we conducted in 2025 in collaboration with our partner social service agencies. outcomes and informed the development of our 90-day Client Survey.
These outcomes are categorized into two levels: individual-level outcomes and organizational-level outcomes. Based on 25 responses:
- 22 out of 25 of respondents stated that “Working with Furniture Bank has contributed to increased housing stability and improved outcomes for our clients.”
- Among agencies that provide accommodation facilities, 6 out of 7 reported that “Working with Furniture Bank has helped reduce the time it takes for clients to transition into their new homes.”
- 19 out of 25 agreed that working with Furniture Bank has reduced the time and resources they spend on procuring furniture.
- 22 out of 25 agreed or strongly agreed that working with Furniture Bank has enhanced their capacity to support clients’ needs.
To monetize these outcomes, we applied a cost-based approach using survey data to establish financial proxies. Deadweight and attribution values were derived from both survey responses and secondary research.
Regular volunteer outcomes
In 2025, 33 individuals volunteered regularly, donating 10,098 hours of their time to Furniture Bank.
Although not included in the SROI analysis, it is also important to note that an additional 1,381 corporate volunteers donated a total of 4,143 hours to Furniture Bank in 2025.
To monetize the well-being benefits of regular volunteering, we used the financial proxy and the deadweight value in the HACT UK Social Value Bank.
Furniture donor outcomes
In 2025, 10,323 individuals donated 78,443 items of furniture to Furniture Bank. Based on 640 responses from donors to the Furniture Donor Survey:
- 89% felt more that they were ‘giving back’ to others
- 47% felt more that they were ‘giving back’ to the planet
As in the previous year, we used financial proxies from the Charity Retail Association’s 2025 report on the SROI of charity shops in the UK to value outcomes for donors. To enhance the customization of our model for Furniture Bank, we included deadweight and attribution questions in the 2025 Furniture Donor Survey and used these values.
These results reveal a strong sense of giving back, both to the community and the planet. This underscores the dual impact of Furniture Bank’s work: addressing furniture poverty and promoting environmental sustainability.
We also asked furniture donors what they might have done with their furniture if Furniture Bank wasn’t an option. The alternatives range from selling it, storing it, taking it to a thrift store, or giving it away to disposing of it through junk removal services or curbside disposal:
- 23% would have ‘thrown away’ their furniture if they didn’t donate it to Furniture Bank
- 59% would have donated it or given it away
- 12% would have sold it
- 6% would have done something else
This highlights the crucial role of Furniture Bank in diverting items from landfills and instead, turning them into valuable resources for those in need.
Environment outcomes
In 2025, Furniture Bank diverted 78,443 items of furniture from landfills, resulting in 5,460 tonnes of abated carbon, contributing to the reduction of waste and pollution and landfill life extension. This would be the equivalent of:
- 9,597 barrels of oil removed or
- 191,007 mature trees planted or
- 940 cars removed from road
Outcome Definitions and Calculations
Please use the toggles below to see the details on how our SROI model is undertaken. This worksheet is consistent with international standards of practise for SROI and has been adapted from the SROI Network’s “A Guide to Social Return on Investment” and accompanying training materials.
Recipient clients (households) of furniture (transitioning out of homelessness, women and children escaping from abusive situations, refugees, and newcomers)
- Improved quality of life as a result of having a home with furniture (comfort, dignity, warmth, security, stability)
- Increased social inclusion/Avoidance of social exclusion
Individuals who participate in the social employment program (at-risk youth and newcomers to Canada facing barriers to employment)
- Sustainable livelihood (Participants obtain long-term employment within or outside of the Furniture and they continue to be financially resilient)
Increased confidence and self-esteem
Improved mental health
Decreased social isolation 
Regular volunteers
- Increased feeling of contributing to the community
Donors of furniture (Canadians)
- Satisfaction and feeling good about having donated furniture to families in need
Provincial & Federal Government
- Increase in revenue from the participants’ taxes
Environmental impact
- Reduction in waste and pollution
- Landfill life extension and less reliance on new waste processing equipment
- Abated Carbon
Aligned with Canadian standards
Common Approach to Impact Measurement
At Furniture Bank, we are aligned with the Common Approach to Impact Measurement which are a set of standards that helps us effectively measure our impact as a social purpose organization. This flexible, community-driven framework aligns with our mission to support individuals and families in need by providing them with essential furniture and housewares.
As part of our commitment to the Common Approach, we follow five essential practices:
- Clearly defining the intended changes resulting from our activities, such as improving the lives of our clients by providing them with a furnished home.
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Choosing appropriate indicators to track our progress and impact, such as the number of families served and the percentage of clients reporting improved well-being.
-
Collecting relevant data to assess the effectiveness of our activities, including client surveys and feedback from partner agencies.
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Analyzing the data to evaluate our performance and impact, identifying areas for improvement and celebrating our successes.
- Sharing results with our stakeholders, including donors, volunteers, and the community, and using these findings to inform our decisions and continuously enhance our programs.
Social Value Canada
At Furniture Bank, we prioritize transparency and accountability to ensure that every dollar invested creates social, environmental, and economic value. To measure the outcomes of our programs and help donors understand the scope and impact of our work, we employ the Social Return on Investment (SROI) concept, developed by Social Value International and Social Value Canada.
SROI is a comprehensive method for measuring the social, economic, and environmental value generated by an investment or organization. It goes beyond traditional financial statements to include factors not typically expressed in monetary terms. Here’s how we apply the SROI concept at Furniture Bank:
Quantifying Value: SROI allows us to measure the social and financial benefits and value of our services, programs, and organization to society, helping us evaluate outcomes and impacts beyond financial returns.
Holistic Approach: We integrate social, environmental, and economic values into our decision-making, showcasing the economic worth of our social and environmental impacts for a full view of our projects and initiatives.
Comparing Impacts: By identifying and valuing all the social and environmental impacts of our investments and comparing them to financial returns, we gain a comprehensive assessment of the overall value we create.
Value for Money: SROI broadens the value-for-money concept by intertwining social and environmental outcomes with economic costs and benefits. This approach empowers us to enhance decision-making and amplify our impact.
Process and Principles: Our SROI evaluation process involves identifying stakeholders, finding evidence, evaluating results, calculating SROI, and interpreting and reporting the results through a collaborative effort.
A Commitment to Transparency, Learning, and Growth:
A Message from Furniture Bank's Management
You’ve found the page where we get checked by people who don’t work for us. Good. We’d rather you arrive here than not.
Charity Intelligence and watchdogs like it exist to ask a fair question on your behalf: is this organization worth your trust?
We want to answer it honestly — including the parts that aren’t flattering.
The thing they tend to flag about us is overhead. By the conventional measure — how many cents of each donated dollar reach “the program” — we sit higher than they’d prefer. We could massage that number. Instead we’ll explain it, because the explanation is the whole point of who we are.
Furniture Bank isn’t a typical charity; we’re a social enterprise. The trucks that move a family’s old sofa for a fee are the same trucks that deliver a bed to a child sleeping on the floor.
Most of what keeps us running isn’t donations at all — it’s earned revenue. Last year, our own enterprise services covered the large majority of what our programs cost. The conventional overhead ratio was built for organizations that live on cheques in the mail, and it quietly misreads one that largely pays its own way.
So we ask to be judged less on the shape of our budget and more on what that budget produces — and measured against Canada’s recognized social-value standard, every dollar invested in us returned more than six in social, environmental, and human value.
That’s the confident part.
Here’s the honest part.
Demand has outrun us. Requests for help have climbed far faster than furniture has come through our doors. There are still homes we furnish only partly, and still children we serve who do not yet have a bed of their own. We’ve widened our sources of supply and we’re not slowing down — but we won’t pretend the gap is closed. It isn’t.
And until recently, we were better at counting furniture than at understanding what that furniture changed. So we started asking — surveying clients three months after delivery, and the agencies who send them to us. Some of what came back was moving. Some of it was humbling: not every measure of a person’s wellbeing moved in the direction we hoped, and we’ve chosen to keep those results in plain view rather than tuck them away. You can’t improve what you’re unwilling to look at.
None of this changes why we exist.
Somewhere tonight there is an apartment with keys in the door, four walls, a ceiling — and almost nothing inside. A family eating on the floor. A child asleep on a pile of coats. Our work is the distance between that room and a home. We’ve closed that distance for tens of thousands of people, and we intend to keep closing it — in full view, numbers and all.
— The Furniture Bank Team
Audited financials
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OUR ANNUAL DONOR REPORTS
2020-2022
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2018
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2017
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