Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collab

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
582126423
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone
6786860353
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Media, Communications Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$18,395,924
Expenses
$19,099,046
Assets
$12,527,226
Liabilities
$5,103,296

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

Leadership & pay

35 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Jennifer Ruth Dorian (President & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Jennifer Ruth Dorian (President & CEO): $342,735 total reported compensation
  • Jared David Blass (Executive VP of Corp. Sponsor): $250,614 total reported compensation
  • Alay Mehta (Chief Technology Officer): $237,494 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Wabe strives to create a more informed, enriched, connected atlanta community through news, arts and culture, music, and entertainment on radio, tv, and digital platforms as well as by hosting a wide variety of community events. We exchange knowledge with the community to provide perspective and enable better understanding of each other, celebrating our commonalities and differences. Together, our perspectives are more complete and inspire change.

What it reported doing in 2024

Radio: WABE-FM provides 24-hour daily programming, in conjunction with its website at www.wabe.org, that informs metro Atlanta about what's going on across the world and in their various communities. Approximately 249,500 listeners each WEEK DURING FY25 LISTENED TO THE STATION. This quality programming incudes local news reporting along with nationally produced programming from National Public Radio (NPR) and locally produced shows, Closer Look and City Lights. Closer Look is a daily newsmagazine that functions as a community forum for key leaders, experts, and members of the broader community to share ideas and explore issues on a wide variety of important topics. City Lights is a daily arts and culture program that provides a view into Atlanta's rich creative achievements. Local news reporting is a major emphasis of the station. Programming also includes classical music as well as jazz and blues programming. In addition, a series of podcasts covering local politics and other relevant topics. Buried Truths, a national award-winning podcast, investigates stories of injustice, resilience, and racism in the American South. Gold Dome Scramble and Political Breakfast podcasts are hosted by veteran Atlanta political reporters who facilitate the dialog between political strategists from the right and left about a broad variety of timely issues on a biweekly basis.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% 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 a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66.4%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 64%; rating input score 64
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.08 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th 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: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: 96%; rating input score 96; 30th 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: -3.8%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.66; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.41; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66.4% of revenue deployed · 64% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 24 of 25 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $12.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $343K · 35 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 12 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.