Glsen Inc

Overview

Mission

Glsen works to make k-12 education inclusive safe & affirming for all students because no young person should have to choose between their wellbeing and an education. Glsen's programs, campaigns, and initiatives improve education experiences and life outcomes for students by clearing a path to leadership, transforming the school systems, and ensuring that all students have access to an education in an environment free from harassment and discrimination.

What it reported doing in 2024

Community mobilization department provides capacity building support, technical assistance, and strategic planning guidance to volunteers, chapter leaders and community-based advocates working to create safe, affirming and inclusive schools in their communities. These volunteers, chapter leaders and advocates include over 34 accredited chapters that work to realize glsen's mission at the community level. The glsen community mobilization department oversees and manages the chapter network. The chapter network works directly with school administrators, educators, students, and community partners to deliver programming to advance positive school transformation where schools are at minimum safe and ultimately places of liberation for all young people. Chapters provide direct training for educators and hold events that convene student gsas and other constituencies to build their capacity to improve school climate. They also conduct initiatives to increase awareness of glsen's mission and fundraise to support their local work. Executive department sets glsen's strategic direction and supervises its programmatic work. The national collaborations developed by the executive team amplify the organization's impact, increasing the reach of glsen's research and curricula, and increasing influence in the k-12 education world and the racial, gender, and disability justice, civil rights, and lgbtq+ movements.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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
043234202
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
New York, NY, USA
Phone
6463886560
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Intergroup, Race Relations

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: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 16
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 70.4%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.1 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: -43.7%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.63; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.3%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 70.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $5.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $334K · 21 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $996K reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 39 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • 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

21 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • MELANIE WILLINGHAM-JAGGERS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $333,882 total reported compensation
  • DAVID ENG (DEPUTY DIRECTOR): $233,894 total reported compensation
  • CAROLINA FLORES (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE): $196,938 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.