Consumer Action for a Strong Economy Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
814138103
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2017, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Alexandria, VA, USA
Phone
7037185011
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community Coalitions

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,277,125
Expenses
$3,389,819
Assets
$253,750
Liabilities
$2,009

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MATTHEW KANDRACH (PRESIDENT/TREASURER)

Highest reported compensation

  • GERARD SCIMECA (CHAIRMAN/SECRETARY): $257,454 total reported compensation
  • MATTHEW KANDRACH (PRESIDENT/TREASURER): $223,482 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Case is committed to serving as the voice of american consumers and wage-earners by advocating strongly for free-markets, fiscal responsibility and reasonable consumer protections. Through these time-tested principles, case aims to create more prosperity and opportunity for every american. Case is further working to fill the void of consumer advocacy organizations who largely ignore free-market solutions and lean heavily toward more government regulation and control over our national, state and local economies. As an aggressive and vocal advocate for less governmnet interference with american enterprise and industry, case seeks to serve the interests of u.s. Consumers through common-sense policies that allow our economy to innovate and expand. Giving consumers more freedom, greater choices, more purchasing options, at less cost.

What it reported doing in 2024

After years of covid-restrained operations, case was able to fully ramp up again and execute its extensive advocacy efforts on behalf of u.s. Consumers. Case continued to engage on numerous national and state-based public education campaigns across a wide variety of media channels, producing and disseminating pivotal issue analyses serving as informational resources for consumers, opinion leaders, and industry experts. Case continued to produce tailored and creative public awareness campaigns via digital ads, social media outreach, blogs, op-eds and radio interviews. It also carried on existing advocacy efforts by engaging federal and state lawmakers and their staffs in support of free-market solutions on critical consumer issues. This advocacy continued to produce major policy victories that favorably affected consumers and their pocketbooks.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 97
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 38
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 97%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: $59.31 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: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.4%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.07; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.2%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.9% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 97% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 3 board members independent · 4 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $257K · 3 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 33/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.