Caringmatters Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 521591455
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Gaithersburg, MD, USA
- Phone
- 3019908903
- Rating
- 87
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Hospices
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,183,170
- Expenses
- $1,179,286
- Assets
- $4,963,393
- Liabilities
- $183,351
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
20 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ALLISON STEARNS (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
Highest reported compensation
- ALLISON STEARNS (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $132,307 total reported compensation
- AMY BAYERSDORFER (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $108,193 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Caringmatters provides social supports and community education so that no one dies or grieves alone. Our trained and screened volunteers provide compassionate support, without charge, to any montgomery county adult or child facing serious illness or grieving the loss of a loved one.
What it reported doing in 2024
Grief clubs are seven-week support groups designed to help children in grades k-12 explore their feelings, develop healthy coping strategies, and find comfort and safety in knowing that they are not alone. These groups are facilitated by trained caringmatters volunteers in partnership with montgomery county public schools, independent schools, and other community-based organizations. Camp erin montgomery county, held once a year, is an overnight weekend camp for grieving children, ages 6-17, that is part of a national network of camp erin programs. The camp offers age-appropriate discussions and creative, fun-filled activities designed to help children share their feelings with peers who have had similar experiences. Camp erin montgomery county is a partnership between caringmatters and bar-t, inc. Caringmatters' family nights are designed for families who have experienced the death of a loved one. Each workshop is held prior to a major holiday so families can learn coping skills, plan for how to handle celebrations, and mark the absence of their loved one. The program is virtual, via zoom, so families don't need to travel to gaithersburg.parenting while grieving is a virtual, event workshop series for parents who are grieving the death of a spouse or partner while parenting their children who are now also grieving the loss of their other parent. This program implements a psychoeducational curriculum and is facilitated by two professional grief specialists.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 72% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 83
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 50
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88.4%; rating input score 88
- Program expense ratio: 85.2%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $14.93 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th 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: 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0.3%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.21; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 20.4%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 88.4% of revenue deployed · 85.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $132K · 20 people listed
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 50/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.