Border Security Alliance

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
882109931
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone
6024514292
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$248,314
Expenses
$531,486
Assets
$245,822
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOBE DICKINSON (PRESIDENT)
  • CALE OTTENS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOBE DICKINSON (PRESIDENT): $96,000 total reported compensation
  • JUSTIN HARRIS (VICE CHAIRMAN): $43,500 total reported compensation
  • JASON WINSKY (BOARD MEMBER): $36,295 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The border security alliance promotes social welfare by advocating for public policies to secure the northern and southern borders, support border patrol and law enforcement, combat human trafficking, drug smuggling, illicit tobacco trade, and protect local communities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Advocate for public policies in support of mission, educate groups on organization's mission and related public policy.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 88% 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. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 46
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 61.1%; rating input score 61
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 25%; rating input score 25; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -114%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 33.1%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 56.4% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 61.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 4 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $325K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $96K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 17 of 18 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.