Connected Polk Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
833380202
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lakeland, FL, USA
Phone
8639440412
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$404,287
Expenses
$390,698
Assets
$98,243
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MELODY RIDER (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MELODY RIDER (PRESIDENT): $198,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Connected polk is committed to transforming polk county's educational landscape by engaging the business community. Connected polk's mission is to enhance high school and post-secondary graduates' preparedness, making polk county a premier destination for families and businesses through innovative educational practices and strong industry partnerships.

What it reported doing in 2024

Connected polk is an intermediary non-profit that collaborates with educational institutions, industry partners, and community stakeholders to enhance graduate preparedness. Connected polk focuses on creating equal opportunities for high-quality education models and aligning education with access to the connected polk network, empowering students for future careers.connected polk envisions every student in polk county having access to high-ranking schools that provide quality education, creating well-prepared graduates for our growing economy. By supporting connected polk, we drive educational innovation, enhance career readiness, expand access to quality educational opportunities, and strengthen community ties for a dynamic, inclusive educational future.by equipping students with real-world knowledge and career experiences, connected polk fosters loyalty to the organizations and sectors that invest in their growth. Standing alongside educators and industry leaders, we work in partnership to develop a skilled, career-ready workforce for tomorrow.our focus is on creating sustainable, scalable, and equal access to career readiness opportunities. Through industry-driven engagement, we inspire and educate students about high-demand careers while strengthening polk county's business climate and long-term economic future.target connected polk programming areas: 1. Continuous advancement in education2. Community investment3. Elevate business partnerships4. Expectations, access, and availability

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 99% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 66
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 72.5%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 75%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 84.6%; rating input score 85; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • 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: 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.4%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.25; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 50.7%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 18.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 72.5% of revenue deployed · 75% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $293K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $198K · 9 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 47/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.