Chinese American Service League Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
362984043
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3127910418
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community Service Clubs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$24,662,963
Expenses
$28,123,428
Assets
$21,013,706
Liabilities
$2,907,045

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

Leadership & pay

32 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LUU PAUL (CEO)
  • WRIGHT RACHAEL E (ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAM SERVICES)

Highest reported compensation

  • LUU PAUL (CEO): $261,896 total reported compensation
  • PRUITT JERED (COO): $232,489 total reported compensation
  • ADAMS BRANDI (VP OF ADVANCEMENT): $168,656 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Building on the wisdom of generations, chinese american service league (casl) catalyzes the transformation of individuals, families, and the community for an equitable future. This is achieved through comprehensive program activities that: lead to family economic self-sufficiency strengthen families ease the cultural transformations of individuals and families as they integrate into american society engage in advocacy to achieve positive social systemic change. Casl is critical anchor for the greater chicago community delievering impactful programs and services that preserve and nurture the connection that current and future generations have to their chinese culture and heritage. Supported by casl, our community members will live prosperous and empowered lives integrating the best of cultures.

What it reported doing in 2024

Community impact : center for social impact - the agency promotes social impact in our communities by advancing data-driven solutions and equitable policy initiatives aimed at engaging and supporting the agency's departments and programs.community equity research center - the agency's community equity research center (cerc) promotes inclusion and community empowerment by using data to shape policy, advocacy, and education efforts. Cerc is dedicated to increasing representation for asian american and native hawaiian pacific islander (aanhpi) communities at the local and national policy level and provides strategic, data-informed recommendations to ensure equitable outcomes. Cerc also works collaboratively with casl's center for social impact (csi) to improve the well-being of our community and clients. We provide our departments and programs with the education, information, and support they need to successfully serve our diverse clients and communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 68% 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.
  • 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: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.7%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 87.6%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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; 66th 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: -14%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.75; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.3%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.7% of revenue deployed · 87.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $24.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $262K · 32 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 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.
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 48/100.