The PNM Good Neighbor Fund
2011 Report to the Community

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The Need is Growing - And So Is Your Help.

Your PNM Good Neighbor Fund helps pay electricity bills for customers who can’t afford them. Thanks to your donations, we are helping more families than ever before – more than $1,200,000 was used to keep the lights on and homes warm for 9,907 families across New Mexico in 2011. That works out to a little more than $125 per family.

However, the need continues to grow. So PNM will double match your donations beginning in May 2012, up to $50,000. That means each dollar you contribute becomes $3 to help families in need.

Program administration

The PNM Good Neighbor Fund is administered by The Storehouse. PNM shareholders match your tax-deductible donations up to $350,000 annually. Collaborating with the community is a hallmark of the PNM Good Neighbor Fund. The Storehouse and PNM work with dozens of social service providers throughout PNM communities to help families get the help they need.

Meet two of the families you helped

Bernadette's family

Bernadette’s family took a big hit when she lost her job in December of 2011. She looked hard for a new job but to no avail, leaving the family with no income. They really struggled to make ends meet. Then the past due notices started to arrive and Bernadette didn’t know where to turn. Never having been in this situation before, she didn’t know about the PNM Good Neighbor Fund until a family member told her about it. Bernadette went to the PNM Good Neighbor Fund and was very pleased with the experience - and the outcome.

She says she was treated in a dignified manner with respect and care, and that it was “very comfortable.” Not only did she leave that day with assistance to pay her electric bill, but she was given referrals to help her in other ways as well. Bernadette recently found a job and is grateful to the PNM Good Neighbor Fund for being there for her family and her during her time of need.

Josh, Jacquelyn and their four children

2011 was a tough year for Josh, Jacquelyn and their four children. Josh was laid off from his job as an electronics and computer engineer in October. By the time unemployment benefits began, rent and other bills were very delinquent. They were running out of resources.

On top of that, Jacquelyn’s aunt had recently passed away leaving four children without a parent. So Josh and Jacquelyn gained custody and made room for them in their home.

The PNM Good Neighbor Fund helped pay their electric bill which was in danger of being disconnected, and went on to connect them with Health and Social Services Center at the City of Albuquerque, which helped pay the water bill. The PNM Good Neighbor Fund also connected them with the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program which helped with the gas bill.

“We didn’t know where to turn,” Josh said. “The help and referrals that we received from the PNM Good Neighbor Fund made all the difference for our family and kept us from becoming homeless. We will always appreciate the help we received from the PNM Good Neighbor Fund.”

PNM Good Neighbor Fund Financial Accountability and Process Management

To ensure that your contributions to the PNM Good Neighbor Fund are used wisely, we maintain strict rules for financial management. You can be confident that your contributions are working hard to help families who need it the most.

Reporting and Auditing

Processes are in place to ensure complete monitoring and control over the program. These processes include reconciliation to The Storehouse account records, reconciliation to the PNM general ledger, and spot audits to customer accounts and The Storehouse posting records. The program is 100 percent accountable and transparent. The Storehouse is the nonprofit organization that administers the PNM Good Neighbor Fund. By law, PNM cannot manage the fund.

Donation Reporting

• The PNM Good Neighbor Fund started with a balance of $634,522 carried forward from 2010.
• PNM contributed $1,250,000, creating a total of $1,884,522.
• During 2011, PNM customers contributed $240,032. An additional $9,470 was earned through PNM employee contributions, our Cocinas de New Mexico cookbook sales and other fund raising events. PNM matched those contributions with $249,501. To order a Cocinas de New Mexico cookbook, go to PNM.com/community.
• Program administrators The Storehouse and Salvation Army were paid $160,878.
• In 2011, the PNM Good Neighbor Fund donated $1,245,045 to 9,907 families, which was an increase of more than 50 percent over 2010. This is the most ever given in a single year. The average donation was about $125.
• Because donations to families in need were larger than contributions, the 2011 end-of-year balance was $977,602.
• 100 percent of your donation goes to The Storehouse. PNM does not retain any part of your donation for administration or for any other reason.

Special Events to Serve Vulnerable Customers

In 2011, PNM hosted 32 special events that focused on our most vulnerable customer group—low-income seniors. We held events at senior centers, city health and social service offices, churches, and low-income housing sites in communities around New Mexico. All events offered PNM Good Neighbor Fund applications, information and applications for weatherization programs, budget billing applications, payment plans, and low-cost and no-cost energy saving tips.

Special Good Neighbor Fund Programs

Mail-in processes were created to help customers who are critically ill or physically handicapped with the PNM Medical Certificate Program. Previously, customers had to go to the PNM Good Neighbor Fund administrator’s office or not participate in the program.

Good Neighbor Fund Assistance Agency Training

PNM trained 244 assistance agency employees in all PNM Good Neighbor Fund processes. Ongoing support is provided to the agencies throughout the year.