Gold Coast Neighbors Association
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 366086117
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2017–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2015
- Location
- Chicago, IL, USA
- Phone
- 7735107327
- Rating
- 72
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $156,372
- Expenses
- $135,720
- Assets
- $329,184
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
28 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SAM LICHTENFELD (PRESIDENT)
- CARLA WALKER (1ST VICE PRESIDENT)
- SANDIE BENEN (VICE PRESIDENT)
- MICHAEL PERLSTEIN (VICE PRESIDENT)
- MELISSA RICKEY (VICE PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- SAM LICHTENFELD (PRESIDENT)
- CARLA WALKER (1ST VICE PRESIDENT)
- SANDIE BENEN (VICE PRESIDENT)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The association was organized to promote the preservation and improvement of the residential integrity of the neighborhood area, provide assistance with education about and preservation of property, real or personal, which has architectural, historical, or environmental importance in the association's area, and support cultural and educational offices, community centers, and others that have the same basic views as the association. The association's area is composed of the chicago, il neighborhood between and including north avenue and bellevue place, and north lake shore drive and clark street.
What it reported doing in 2024
Safety and security - the association hires a private security firm to patrol the gold coast neighborhood late at night on fridays and saturdays, as well as all day on saturdays, sundays, and holidays. The safety patrol's mission is to: exhibit their presence as a deterrent to potential offenders, watch for disturbances or suspicious activity, notify and assist the police of any suspect activity in progress, identify any property damage, intervene if citizens are physically threatened or in danger, observe adherence to community safety agreements by business owners, and report incidents and safety recommendations to the association's board.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 76% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 51
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 67
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 55%; rating input score 55
- Program expense ratio: 61.1%; rating input score 61
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: Limited
- 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: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 13.2%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.43; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 55% of revenue deployed · 61.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 28 of 28 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $83K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 28 people listed
- Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.