Communicating for Americainc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 411281767
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2017
- Forms available
- Form 990 2017
- Location
- Fergus Falls, MN, USA
- Phone
- 2187393241
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Labor Unions
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,256,826
- Expenses
- $2,368,684
- Assets
- $1,372,483
- Liabilities
- $601,872
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2017. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JEFF SMEDSRUD (CHAIRMAN/CEO)
- PATTY STRICKLAND (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- PATTY STRICKLAND (PRESIDENT): $100,099 total reported compensation
- ANGELA NELSON (CFO): $54,455 total reported compensation
- JEFF SMEDSRUD (CHAIRMAN/CEO): $29,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2017. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Promote the betterment of the conditions of those engaged in agriculture, the improvement of their products, and their occupational efficiency, including their heatlth and well-bing.
What it reported doing in 2017
Communicating for america (ca) provides information and resources to members through monthly newsletters, printed materials, and a comprehensive website. Ca's qualified staff further assists members with specific concerns or requests for information and assistance. Ca is a national leader that supports affordable healthcare for all americans. Ca educates members about affordable health insurance and gap plans to stretch healthcare dollars. Ca was instrumental in the creation of the national association of comprehensive health insurance plans (naschip) and continues to advocate on behalf of members with insurance companies, regulators, and lawmakers. Ca promotes and supports international and domestic training, internship, and (continued on schedule o)... Apprenticeship programs in occupations relating to agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Ca also works to establish and register national skill standards with the us department of labor for apprenticeship training in agricultural occupations, which enables participants to receive on the job training, educational course work, and cultural experience in the us and abroad.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 100% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 59% for direct work, and 41% for member benefits.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 80
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 57
- Sustainability: 22
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 92.3%; rating input score 92
- Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 57.1%; rating input score 57; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- 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: -5%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.58; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.44; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.5%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.1% per year; rating input score 0; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 92.3% of revenue deployed · 88% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $100K · 8 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $467K reported
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules
- Filing history: 8 filing years from 2010 to 2017
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 57/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 9 not reported.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.