Chris Kolenda Saber Six Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
872010682
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone
5713088096
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Reported finances

Revenue
$202,528
Expenses
$122,789
Assets
$179,750
Liabilities
$2,841

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHRIS KOLENDA (PRESIDENT)
  • MICHAEL CREEDON (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • DEEDEE KIESOW (OUTGOING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • CHRISTINA KRYCH (INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • DEEDEE KIESOW (OUTGOING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $52,667 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTINA KRYCH (INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $16,149 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 purpose of the organization is to connect with veteran paratroopers who served in afghanistan from 2007-2008 with task force saber. Six heroes died during that deployment and more have died by suicide since their return. The foundation is designed to connect these surviving members and their families together to build purpose, belonging, and well-being to turn post-combat stress into post-combat growth. The foundation achieves this through a three-prong approach: in person events, virtual events, and self-directed programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

2024 virtual events: belonging: the foundation conducted stable calls and fiddler's green virtual check-ins. Stable calls are once a month capacity building video calls connecting surviving members and families with each other. During the calls, the foundation conveys useful information by inviting professionals to talk, asking veterans to share stories of current successes or challenges, introducing new members, and sharing foundation news and/or upcoming events. Fiddler's green virtual check-ins are more fluid and organic virtual get togethers with break-out rooms for more intimate discussion focused on veterans' physical/emotional/mental health, challenges, rehashing shared stories, and are used as needed to be a way for veterans to commemorate a newly lost comrade to suicide, health issues, or untimely death.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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.

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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 39
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 31.4%; rating input score 31
  • Program expense ratio: 51.6%; rating input score 52
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • 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: 39.4%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.46; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 56%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -8% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 31.4% of revenue deployed · 51.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $63K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $53K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 31/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 52/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 41/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.