Common Heart Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
461161476
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Indian Trail, NC, USA
Phone
7042189060
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,518,257
Expenses
$2,459,682
Assets
$742,571
Liabilities
$116,727

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HEATHER BRODBECK (PRESIDENT)
  • MARY LINDSAY-BARBER (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • KEITH ADAMS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EX-OFFICIO, NON-VOTING)

People named in this filing

  • BRIAN SCOTT (TREASURER)
  • HEATHER BRODBECK (PRESIDENT)
  • MARY LINDSAY-BARBER (VICE PRESIDENT)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Common hearts goal is to create a small revolution of kindness in our community to eradicate food insecurity and eliminate generational poverty. We foster individual and community engagement to feed hungry families and empower those in poverty, creating a sustainable community where all can thrive.programs are built on the power of relationships

What it reported doing in 2025

Economic empowerment programs of common heart are designed to empower families experiencing the low-resource environment of poverty and food insecurity to become more stable and upwardly mobile. The on-ramp is getting ahead in a just-getting-by world ga, which is proven to increase stability and resources to create new futures for families experiencing poverty. Graduates of this program are offered seven free coaching sessions to assist them in achieving the goals and plans set in ga. During the next 12-18 months, we engage graduates with over 24 workshops, each 10-90 hours long, to build on their ga experience, along with monthly resource-building gatherings. Through participation in these learning opportunities, achieving goals, and volunteering, participants have the opportunity to gain a 500 emergency savings account. Training is also provided to the community at large, assisting professionals and volunteers to create better outcomes in their service to under-resourced families.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% 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: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.5%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 86.2%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.27 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 18th 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: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.3%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.3; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 22.9% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84.5% of revenue deployed · 86.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 16 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Document-retention policy not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.