Fraternity and Sorority Action Fund

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
474906970
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2017, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2029425000
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$314,954
Expenses
$533,579
Assets
$751,397
Liabilities
$-156

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LARRY WIESE (PRESIDENT)
  • SARAH LINDSAY (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • CINDY STELLHORN (PAST PRESIDENT/SECRETARY)
  • KEVIN O'NEILL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • THOMAS MAXWELL (ASSISTANT TREASURER): $28,106 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The fraternity and sorority action fund exists to promote and advocate for the fraternal community in funding initiatives such as grassroots engagement, public relations, research, litigation and state legislation development on topics of hazing, freedom of association/assembly, title ix and zoning to name some current and past efforts.

What it reported doing in 2024

Promotion and advocacy for the fraternal community: during the year, the organization supported challenging the multi-year suspension of a chapter by a school without due process. The organization launched the freedom of association institute in 2022. This pilot program teaches student members about freedom of association rights, and challenges to those rights on college campuses today. In 2023, the organization launched Florida lobbying for freedom of association. The purpose of this program service is to monitor and influence pending executive and legislative branch discussions in Florida about campus freedom of association rights for college students.the organization hosted a constitution event day at the university of Maryland, where fraternity/sorority student rights have been under attack for more than a year. The event included, food, educational speakers, and some exercises to help student defend their constitutional rights to freedom of association. The organization has funded litigation against the university of Maryland to oppose the school's unconstitutional infringement on freedom of association rights for fraternity and sorority students.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 87% 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

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: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 66%; rating input score 66
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.39 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -69.4%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.41; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.3%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -16.9% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -11.2% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.5% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 66% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $352K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $28K · 22 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.