Beacon of Life D/b/a the Beacon

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
421253088
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Des Moines, IA, USA
Phone
5152444713
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Homeless Shelters

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,841,909
Expenses
$3,007,995
Assets
$2,352,459
Liabilities
$146,820

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHANNON SOBEK (PRESIDENT)
  • QUINLAN RISER (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • AMY LANDRIGAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MELISSA VINE (FORMER EXEC. DIRECTOR): $93,400 total reported compensation
  • AMY LANDRIGAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $6,154 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Beacon of life is a residential center in des moines, Iowa that assists homeless women in their transition through a multifaceted approach that includes, but is not limited to, one-on-one counseling and programming on chemical dependency, budgeting, housing, job readiness, employment placement and permanent housing placement.

What it reported doing in 2024

Homeless shelter that assists women in their transition through a multifaceted approach that includes, but is not limited to, one-on-one counseling and programming on chemical dependency, budgeting, housing, job readiness, employment placement, violence against women, health issues and more.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 69% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70.5%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 89.7%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $30.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: 21.7%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.78; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.3%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 23.2% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70.5% of revenue deployed · 89.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $93K · 21 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Whistleblower policy not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.