Bethany First Steps

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
463074042
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Omaha, NE, USA
Phone
4023921500
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Child Day Care
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$839,664
Expenses
$805,781
Assets
$517,836
Liabilities
$11,145

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SARAH HART (PRESIDENT)
  • ASHLEY GEMAR (PRESIDENT THRU 07/24)
  • JEFF MURNAN (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATIE APLEY (CHILDCARE DIRECTOR): $51,390 total reported compensation
  • SHANDRA LANDRUM (PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR): $39,015 total reported compensation
  • HALLIE PAULSON (FINANCIAL COORDINATOR): $10,013 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To provide safe, high quality and developmentally appropriate child care in a loving christian environment to children 6 weeks to 6 years. Specifically, bethany first steps is committed to: -support and encourage the families we serve -to provide for all areas of a child's development, including faith development -to teach children to respect themselves, others and their environment -for children to learn self-confidence, grace, forgiveness, accountability and responsibility

What it reported doing in 2024

Bethany first steps provides high quality child care and preschool to children ages 6 weeks to 6 years (childcare) and 18 months to 6 years (preschool) in an educational christian environment.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 98% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 79.7%; rating input score 80
  • 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • 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%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.64; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76% of revenue deployed · 79.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $642K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $51K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.