Chum

Legal name: Churches United in Ministry

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
411227969
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Duluth, MN, USA
Phone
2187206521
Rating
91
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,535,568
Expenses
$8,214,909
Assets
$4,030,298
Liabilities
$1,203,805

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN COLE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • JULIE JAGIM (PRESIDENT)
  • SR KATHLEEN HOFER (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN COLE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $118,550 total reported compensation
  • GREGORY KVAM (FINANCE DIRECTOR): $88,962 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

People of faith working together to provide basic necessities, foster stable lives, and organize for a just and compassionate community. Chum's stabilization services include the emergency shelter program for families and individuals, homeless street outreach, the Chum Drop-In Center, the Chum Clinic, family and individual case management, employment services, and benefits advocacy. All of these programs are our way of responding to the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness in Duluth, MN. Each program meets people right where they are and gives them the tools, opportunities, and support to find housing and thrive in life. Learn More.

What it reported doing in 2024

Housing services: two locations are devoted to longer-term housing for individuals and families transitioning from homelessness. The steve o'neil apartments provides 44 units of permanent supportive housing for families with children who have experienced long-term or recurrent homelessness. Opened in late december 2014, this program offers intense professional staff services which includes youth development, and 4-star parent aware early childhood programming designed to support families rebuilding their lives. Programming is based on circle of security, participatory engagement, and follow housing first, harm reduction and trauma-informed philosophies and practices. The st. Francis apartments opened in 2021 and offers 39 permanent supportive housing units for elders with underlying health conditions to live and obtain supportive services. Support staff connect residents to services for food, transportation, assistance with household chores, public benefits, and mental health and recovery services. Chum's goal is to help residents successfully transition from shelter to housing, and then maintain their housing, stabilize their health and wellbeing, and not return to homelessness.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 65% for direct work, and 35% for grants.
  • 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89.1%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 92.4%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: $57.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 80; 80th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.8%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.49; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.3; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.5%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.6% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 89.1% of revenue deployed · 92.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $7.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $119K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 47/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.