Bell Tower Residence Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391672100
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2017
Forms available
Form 990 2017
Location
Merrill, WI, USA
Phone
7155365575
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Supportive Housing for Older Adults

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,611,472
Expenses
$4,967,264
Assets
$3,604,714
Liabilities
$376,700

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2017. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES NOEL BUSHOR (PRESIDENT)
  • DAVID COOPER (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KRIS MCGARIGLE (ADMINISTRATOR): $102,793 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2017. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Bell tower residence is a nonprofit, faith-based assisted living community that promotes the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of each resident in a safe, caring environment. For over 100 years the sisters of mercy of the holy cross have carried out their mission of responding to human need. Bell tower residence was established in 1990 to carry out that mission for the elderly in merrill, wi. The florence huss memorial fund for bell tower residents is one expression of that commitment and was established to benefit the low income residents of bell tower residence. Bell tower residence is not reimbursed for a portion of costs associated with residents who participate in a state program. For the fiscal year 2018 the total cost of these unreimbursed expenses was $269,290.

What it reported doing in 2017

Bell tower residence provides housing and support facilities and services for the elderly of the merrill, Wisconsin area. Bell tower residence's assisted living programs provide residents with a community living experience which offers a comfortable and safe home-like environment; encourages the highest level of independent functioning of the individual; offers meaningful opportunities for the continuation of community, church and social involvement; promotes a vital sense of community and belonging through shared daily living, recreational and social experience; recognizes and responds to the special physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of the elderly; encourages family-centered experiences within the context of community living. In the fiscal year 2018, bell tower residence served 108 residents.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 84% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The required major-donor schedule is missing or incomplete and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 72%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 77.5%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: No; rating input score 0
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.5%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.73; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.1%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 72% of revenue deployed · 77.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $103K · 12 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $250K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2011 to 2017
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 2 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Major donor itemization scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.