BetterLife

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
420594470
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Madison, WI, USA
Phone
(800) 779-1936
Rating
39
Verdict
REVIEW
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$63,526,747
Expenses
$69,224,196
Assets
$586,620,274
Liabilities
$526,401,594

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

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Christopher Campbell (Board Chair/CEO/President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Christopher Campbell (Board Chair/CEO/President): $623,138 total reported compensation
  • Matthew P Mikulcik (Chief Operating Officer): $374,426 total reported compensation
  • Derek J Metcalf (CFO): $342,133 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

BetterLife offers a competitive portfolio of products, designed to protect you and your loved ones and help you live a better life.

What it reported doing in 2024

FRATERNAL ACTVITIES AND PROGRAMS - BetterLife provides activity funding to fraternal groups, varying in amount. Funds support various initiatives: A. Community Benefit: BetterLife members organize projects aiding scholarship programs, blood drives, and more. B. Fundraisers and Matching Funds: Grants are offered for fundraising events supporting members in need. C. Family Activities: Events like picnics and holiday parties foster family bonds. D. Educational Leadership: Seminars train volunteers for community outreach. E. Patriotic Programs: Support for Flag Day observances, veteran and school initiatives. F. Fraternal Support: Activities maintaining group cohesion and development. G. Fraternal Services: Resources for national mission implementation. 2024 Statistics for A-G: $378,831 Activity Payments; 28,677 Volunteer Hours; $41,727 Corporate Donations; $120,899 Fundraising Funds Raised; $22,015 Fundraising Funds Matched by BetterLife. FRATERNAL BENEFIT PROGRAM: BetterLife offers non-contractual fraternal benefits to members at no extra cost, alongside their life insurance coverage: A. Disaster Benefit: Grants of up to $1,500 for expenses incurred from natural disasters. B. Health Benefit: Grants of up to $1,500 for specific disease expenses. C. Family Fraternal Benefit: Includes newborn death benefit and guaranteed insurance. D. Family Benefit: Offers twenty $1,000 awards yearly for various family expenses. E. Member Magazine: Quarterly publication covering member activities and services. F. Orphan Income Benefit: Monthly allowance for orphan care until age 18. G. Orphan Scholarship Benefit: Up to $3,000 yearly for orphaned child education. H. National Scholarship Program: Awards scholarships to young members involved in community service. I. Members in Action: Grants up to $200 twice yearly for local service projects. 2024 Statistics for A-I: $0 (A), $24,500 (B); $5,000 (C); $14,000 (D); $155,556 (E); $9,600 (F); $2,000 (G); $73,500 (H); $8,172 (I). LODGE SYSTEM: BetterLife operates through local fraternal lodges known as Member Groups. Each member belongs to a specific group, which hosts planning meetings, biennial elections, and conducts activities within an assigned area. These groups adhere to Society bylaws and organize various benevolent, charitable, educational, and patriotic initiatives within their communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 99% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

REVIEW - Most voting board members are independent and revenue 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: 0
  • Transparency & Controls: 53
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 8th 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: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 36th 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: -9%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.47; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.9; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.1%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed · 0% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $69.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $623K · 28 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.1M reported
  • Consistency: 13 of 15 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes foreign activity and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 28 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Functional expense sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.