Dress for Success Cincinnati

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
311640182
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Cincinnati, OH, USA
Phone
5136513372
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Employment Procurement Assistance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,159,448
Expenses
$1,506,034
Assets
$1,583,393
Liabilities
$658,192

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

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Meggan Thompson (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Meggan Thompson (CEO): $113,339 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Mission of Dress for Success Cincinnati is to help unemployed women with the resources they need in their journeys toward economic mobility.

What it reported doing in 2025

Dress for Success Cincinnati (DFSC) offers a time-tested, successful program that can be adapted and adjusted as the job market evolves. Our ultimate goal is for women and those who identify as women to achieve levels of economic self-sufficiency regardless of race, upbringing or where they live. Clients are referred by a diverse group of non-profit organizations and government agencies, including homeless shelters, immigration services, job training programs, education institutions and domestic violence shelters; other women reach out to us directly to request services. In addition to our signature styling program, DFSC offers a full spectrum of workforce development and career support programs through its career center and thriving services programs.Through our Thriving Services, we walk alongside you as you continue to grow, achieve, and thrive. When a woman thrives, her family, workplace, and community thrive with her. Our programs are designed to provide ongoing support, tools, and community you need to turn opportunity into lasting success. We do this through1:1 coaching where women receive personalized support from expert coaches who will help you set meaningful goals, stay focused, and build the future you envision.Womens Circles that allow women to connect with a powerful network in peer groups that foster community, support, and shared growthbecause no one succeeds alone.Career Services offers expert guidance and strategic resources to help women navigate every step of their professional journey through our Career Development Program. This program is designed to set career goals and build confidence in the job search. We also offer empowering events to help women inspired and connected through regular events that support both personal and professional goals to build a network, confidence, and future.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 66% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 85% 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: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 97
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 78.3%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95.8%; rating input score 96; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -29.9%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.05; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.42; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.5%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 78.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 24 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $113K · 28 people listed
  • Consistency: 36 of 37 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 44/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.