Sweetser
Overview
Mission
Sweetser is a behavioral health nonprofit that provides evidence-based treatment, support and hope through a statewide network of community-based mental health, recovery, and educational services.
What it reported doing in 2024
Sweetser's caring and compassionate professionals connect over 12,000 children, adults, and family members with the mental health, recovery, and educational services they need and deserve. The Organization's roots are founded in residential care for children, dating back to 1828. Nationally recognized and accredited, Sweetser meets individuals where they are at as the largest provider of mobile crisis services in the state of Maine. Sweetser has three Hope & Healing Centers conveniently located in the underserved communities of Brunswick, Sanford, and Lewiston. These walk-in care clinics provide same-day access to care coordination for mental health and recovery needs. Mainers can get connected to services by calling our Promise Line at 1-800-434-3000, emailing [email protected], or visiting www.sweetser.org.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 82% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The nonprofit carried out 100% of its reported program work directly.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 010211807
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Headquarters
- Saco, ME, USA
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Human Services
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 75
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 91
- Sustainability: 51
- Growth: 40
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 76.1%; rating input score 76
- Program expense ratio: 80.1%; rating input score 80
- Fundraising efficiency: $19.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
- Public monitoring controls: Limited
- Public policy transparency: Limited
- Public financial transparency: Limited
- Impact reporting controls: Limited
- Public relationship transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Public governance controls: Limited
- Zakat policy transparency: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.6%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Operating reserve ratio: 1; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.9%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -0.6% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 76.1% of revenue deployed · 80.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $41.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $312K · 21 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 15 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links