Buffalo Lake Fire Relief Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
416080030
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Buffalo Lake, MN, USA
Phone
3208332272
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Pension and Retirement Funds

Reported finances

Revenue
$55,622
Expenses
$42,834
Assets
$1,260,891
Liabilities
$277

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHAD SCHMALZ (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SAM PETTIT (TREASURER): $924 total reported compensation
  • CHAD SCHMALZ (PRESIDENT): $554 total reported compensation
  • DUSTIN UFKES (SECRETARY): $185 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Provide pension benefits to volunteer firemen.

What it reported doing in 2025

The organization receives funding for the pension fund from the state of Minnesota and through fundraisers. When requested and requirements are met, the organization pays pensions to retired volunteer firemen.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 45
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 43.8%; rating input score 44
  • Program expense ratio: 55.1%; rating input score 55
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.86 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 22
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 23%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 29.44; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.9%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -8.7% per year; rating input score 0; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 43.8% of revenue deployed · 55.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $24K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $924 · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 1 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 44/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 55/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.