Buffalo Developmental Opportunities Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
472076902
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2016
Forms available
Form 990 2016, Form 990-N 2013
Location
Buffalo, NY, USA
Phone
7164643244
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Vocational Rehabilitation

Reported finances

Revenue
$215,008
Expenses
$304,881
Assets
$13,998
Liabilities
$100,000

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2016. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR MARGARET KELLER-COGAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (TO 9/1/16))
  • ALAN HIBBARD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR MARGARET KELLER-COGAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (TO 9/1/16)): $63,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2016. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To engage students in a rigorous curriculum to challenge their academic talents. To teach both individuals and groups by exposing students to a learning culture in which teachers and staff are models of behavioral and academic excellence.

What it reported doing in 2016

Provided private schooling with customized learning for grades 5 through 12.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 80% 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: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 69
  • Sustainability: 4
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 90%; rating input score 90
  • 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: 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: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -41.8%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.05; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 7.14; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: Limited

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.5% per year; rating input score 0; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -8% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 90% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 2 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $274K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $63K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2014 to 2016
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 4/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.