5 Steps to Five
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 820900967
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Jul 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Port Chester, NY, US
- Phone
- (914) 217-4158
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Family Services for Adolescent Parents
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $309,811
- Expenses
- $164,132
- Assets
- $654,527
- Liabilities
- $2,402
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
15 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DrKiren Patel (Co-President)
- DrMary Versfelt (Co-President)
- Lisa Field (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Lisa Field (Executive Director): $36,456 total reported compensation
- Guy DeSanctis (Treasurer): $825 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
5 Steps to Five empowers parents to nurture their children's early development through free, evidence-based parent-child group sessions, focusing on five simple steps: Nurture, Talk, Play, Read, Explore.
What it reported doing in 2024
5 Steps to Five experienced significant growth, increased community engagement, and strong program development in 2024. The team focused especially on staff training, data collection, and strategic partnerships to furthur expand our programs. As a result, we saw notable increases in attendance and participation. Key initiatives included the launch of a new toy lending library, and the introduction of a virtual community resource wall for families. We also updated our website to make it even more informative , user- friendly, and accessible. True to our mission, we continue to offer classes and workshops focused on nutrition, community resources, developmental milestones, and literacy.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 90% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 56
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 91
- Sustainability: 72
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 44.9%; rating input score 45
- Program expense ratio: 73.3%; rating input score 73
- Fundraising efficiency: $18.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- 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: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 47%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.99; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 22.7%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 3 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 44.9% of revenue deployed · 73.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $120K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $36K · 15 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 45/100.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 56/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.