JVS Boston

Legal name: Jewish Vocational Service Inc

Overview

Mission

JVS’s mission is to empower individuals from diverse communities to find employment and build careers, while partnering with employers to hire, develop, and retain productive workforces. For over 80 years, Jewish Vocational Service, JVS, has been a pivotal force in supporting individuals towards financial independence, through training programs and education, helping secure new or better employment opportunities, and enhancing opportunities for financial growth. We partner with local employers and industry leaders to create job training programs that yield jobs in highly competitive fields. We work with community partners and agencies to help provide the best experience possible. JVS has a reputation for continuous innovation, building person-centered and performance-based models to improve outcomes and increase programmatic effectiveness. JVS is committed to helping individ.

What it reported doing in 2023

Pre-employment services provides a menu of workforce development services to individuals. Education programs include english language instruction and specialized college preparation classes and coaching. Skills training programs in multiple sectors equip job seekers with in-demand skills. Pipeline programming works with specific employers to recruit, screen and train cohorts of employees for in-demand jobs. Rapid employment services provide intensive job readiness, placement, and support services to populations including refugees and immigrants, individuals with disabilities, and public assistance recipients.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042104357
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2023
Official website data refreshed
Jun 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Headquarters
Boston, MA, United States
Phone
617-399-3131
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Vocational Counseling
Affiliation
Judaism

Official website

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.2%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 74.1%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $15.03 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 97%; rating input score 97; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.7%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.05; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.28; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.6%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 76.2% of revenue deployed · 74.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 32 of 33 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $21.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $314K · 39 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.8M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 annual filings from 2009 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Leadership & pay

39 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • KIRA KKHAZATSKY (PRESIDENT & CEO): $313,863 total reported compensation
  • KADESH SIMMS (CHIEF TALENT AND CULTURE): $244,541 total reported compensation
  • JENNIFER JEWELL (CFO): $240,689 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2023.