Georgia Southern University Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
586034031
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Statesboro, GA, USA
Phone
9124785519
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$19,583,607
Expenses
$12,347,881
Assets
$149,474,950
Liabilities
$769,689

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Trip C Addison (President & Ex-Officio)
  • Julie Gerbsch (Executive Director of Development)

Highest reported compensation

  • Trip C Addison (President & Ex-Officio): $292,124 total reported compensation
  • Julie Gerbsch (Executive Director of Development): $191,652 total reported compensation
  • Craig Brown (CFO): $156,512 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 Georgia Southern University Foundation, Inc. was created to raise private funding to meet certain educational and institutional needs at Georgia Southern University not addressed by state allocations. The Foundation's primary mission is to "promote the cause of higher education" by assisting Georgia Southern University in fulfilling its multifaceted mission: -To support cultural opportunities, economic growth, environmental quality, scientific and technological progress, and social and personal well-being. -To graduate knowledgeable, clear-thinking, articulate students. -To expand horizons through outreach in sciences and liberal arts, preservation of distinctive cultural legacies, and attention to the integrity of south Georgia's environment.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Georgia southern university foundation exists to assist Georgia southern university in fulfilling its multifaceted mission and its efforts to achieve educational excellence. The foundation primarily accomplishes this mission by providing leadership in obtaining the resources needed to attain university goals and through responsible stewardship of funds and other assets entrusted to it. The Georgia southern university foundation raises, invests, and distributes private dollars needed to fund the programs, projects, scholarships, equipment, and buildings that help Georgia southern university barn and maintain a reputation for excellence.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 75% 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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 87
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.1%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 78.3%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.98 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.3%; rating input score 96; 30th 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: Fail
    • 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: 36.9%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 12.11; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.2%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 71.1% of revenue deployed · 78.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 26 of 27 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $9.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $292K · 29 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $517K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 36 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 43/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule D expense reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule D revenue reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.