A Better Wisconsin Together Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
843646174
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Monona, WI, USA
Phone
6085141640
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,322,228
Expenses
$9,815,025
Assets
$3,570,657
Liabilities
$27,233

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATE PEYTON (PRESIDENT)
  • CHRISTOPHER WALLOCH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHRISTOPHER WALLOCH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $176,851 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL BROWNE (DEPUTY DIRECTOR): $145,399 total reported compensation
  • JOSHUA HENDERSON (SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PAID MEDIA): $142,609 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To promote social welfare by serving as a center for progressive message development and dissemination in Wisconsin.

What it reported doing in 2025

Research - background research on policies, elected officials, and public figures to inform our earned and paid media programs as well as identify mis and disinformation in the public discourse.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 50% for direct work, and 50% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 91
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.2%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 94.8%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: $138.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 4.9%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.36; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.2%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 22.4% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.8% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.9% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.2% of revenue deployed · 94.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $9.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $177K · 10 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $3.3M reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.