Advocate Media - Dallas Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
853121709
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Dallas, TX, USA
Phone
2145604212
Rating
54
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Printing, Publishing

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,696,886
Expenses
$1,709,973
Assets
$224,000
Liabilities
$95,219

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

2 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JEHADU ABSHIRO (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • JEHADU ABSHIRO (President): $103,065 total reported compensation
  • RICK WAMRE (CFO): $48,577 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

See IRS schedule o

What it reported doing in 2024

2024 Mission & Program Accomplishments Generated more than 2 million website pageviews without charge to readers from Dallas and Plano residents to educate and inform residents about news and events concerning the Cities of Dallas and Plano and the various neighborhoods that comprise our cities. Sent more than 5 million emails without charge to readers to educate and inform Dallas and Plano residents who signed up to receive news and content updates concerning the Cities of Dallas and Plano and their various neighborhoods via email. Raised funds through donations and grants to support our mission to deliver news and content to residents of the Cities of Dallas and Plano in a non-partisan manner by focusing on local issues of public interest through quality and independent stories and investigations.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% 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.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 32
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 43
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 36.3%; rating input score 36
  • Program expense ratio: 35.9%; rating input score 36
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -0.8%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.13; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.43; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.9%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.6% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -8.2% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 36.3% of revenue deployed · 35.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 3 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $613K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $103K · 2 people listed
  • Consistency: 19 of 20 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 33/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 6/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.