Cross-cultural Solutions Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
931189960
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2016
Forms available
Form 990 2016
Location
New Rochelle, NY, USA
Phone
9146320022
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$12,885,037
Expenses
$12,170,475
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2016. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • STEVEN ROSENTHAL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • TOM POPPER (PRESIDENT OF INSIGHT CUBA)

Highest reported compensation

  • STEVEN ROSENTHAL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $221,378 total reported compensation
  • ADAM HICKS (CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER): $145,199 total reported compensation
  • TOM POPPER (PRESIDENT OF INSIGHT CUBA): $112,584 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2016. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

See statement attached

What it reported doing in 2016

Volunteer Abroad: Cross-Cultural Solutions operates international volunteer programs for 1 to 12 weeks across 9 countries around the world. In each community where CCS works, volunteers work to address critical global issues by providing meaningful and sustainable volunteer services to international communities. A full-time, local in-country staff supports the volunteers and the partner organizations to ensure a positive, high-quality experience. In a survey to partner organizations, over 99% of these rated the work of CCS as positive or highly positive.Throughout 2016, 99.5% of volunteers rated their experience with CCS as at least satisfactory. Cross-Cultural Solutions also operates a High School Volunteer Abroad program, which allows high school students to participate in 1 to 4 week international volunteer program with full-time staff supervision and chaperoned structured activities during the week and on weekends.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 75% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 66% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.3%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 90.3%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.5%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.9%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.8% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -15% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.3% of revenue deployed · 90.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $11M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $221K · 7 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2010 to 2016
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.