Community Cooperative Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
592602772
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Fort Myers, FL, USA
Phone
2393327687
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,030,909
Expenses
$5,608,892
Assets
$6,696,283
Liabilities
$145,711

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • STEFANIE INK EDWARDS (CEO/EX-OFFIC)

Highest reported compensation

  • STEFANIE INK EDWARDS (CEO/EX-OFFIC): $208,112 total reported compensation
  • BLAIR FRETWELL (CFO): $125,600 total reported compensation
  • TRACY SIEKMANN (COO): $92,254 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Community cooperative's mission is to eliminate hunger and homelessness in southwest Florida by providing access to nutritious food, supportive services, and education while empowering individuals and families to achieve long-term stability and self-sufficiency.

What it reported doing in 2025

Community cooperative's social services & education resource center serves as a centralized hub where individuals and families can access comprehensive support designed to promote long-term stability and self- sufficiency. Through partnerships with numerous community organizations, clients receive individualized case management, referrals, and direct assistance tailored to their unique needs. Services include housing stabilization, employment resources, financial coaching, benefits enrollment assistance (including snap and medicaid), health and wellness resources, mental health referrals, childcare resources, life skills development, and educational opportunities. The organization also provides assistance with basic necessities, including hygiene products, clothing, mail services for individuals experiencing homelessness, and emergency financial assistance when available. Educational workshops and coaching help participants strengthen employment readiness, financial literacy, budgeting, goal setting, and other life skills that support lasting positive change.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 70% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 47
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.4%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 91.1%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $17.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 23rd 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: 7%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.19; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.3% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.4% of revenue deployed · 91.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $5.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $208K · 16 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 55/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.