Dordt University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
420772559
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Sioux Center, IA, US
Phone
1-800-343-6738
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$106,288,986
Expenses
$90,743,001
Assets
$261,123,234
Liabilities
$30,372,880

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

Leadership & pay

35 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ERIK HOEKSTRA (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ERIK HOEKSTRA (PRESIDENT): $460,062 total reported compensation
  • JOHN BAAS (DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT): $200,547 total reported compensation
  • STEPHANIE BACCAM (TREASURER/EXEC DIR FIN AND RISK): $198,694 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

God created us to glorify him in everything we do. That's why Dordt wants to help you discover your gifts, embrace your role in God's story, and learn to love your neighbor like Jesus did.

What it reported doing in 2024

DORDT CURRENTLY SERVES OVER 2,000 STUDENTS FROM 30+ COUNTRIES. ITS ACADEMIC OFFERINGS INCLUDE VARIOUS UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS AS WELL AS ONLINE STUDIES, GRADUATE PROGRAMS, AND PROFESSIONAL-TECHNICAL ASSOCIATE DEGREES. WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF GRADUATION 99% OF STUDENTS ARE EMPLOYED OR IN GRADUATE SCHOOL. DORDT'S OTHER AREAS THAT SUPPORT THESE PROGRAM INCLUDE ACADEMIC SUPPORT, STUDENT SERVICES, AUXILIARY SERVICES (STUDENT HOUSING), AND RESEARCH. Dordt is ranked sixth among regional Midwest universities, according to U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Colleges. Dordt is also ranked seventh in Best Value Schools and second in Best Undergraduate Teaching, compared to other Midwest regional universities. Niche has ranked Dordt as one of the top 40 best Christian colleges in America.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 74% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 60% for direct work, and 40% for 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: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 78
  • Accountability: 78
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.8%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 88.3%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 70.8%; rating input score 71; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 14.6%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.88; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 76.8% of revenue deployed · 88.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 24 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $80.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $460K · 35 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $25.8M reported
  • Consistency: 52 of 52 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 12 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.