Helping Hand

Legal name: Helping Hand Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
362327271
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Countryside, IL, USA
Phone
847-228-2456
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Developmentally Disabled Centers

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$26,332,140
Expenses
$23,515,450
Assets
$39,399,818
Liabilities
$4,258,148

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILLIAM STEPHEN DWYER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • APRIL DISLERS (VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS)
  • LATREECE VANKINSCOTT (VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES)
  • MARISSA POST (VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC INTIATIVES)
  • MELISSA MACKAY CAMPBELL (VICE PRESIDENT OF SCHOOL SERVICES)
  • ERIKA VAVRIK (VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • WILLIAM STEPHEN DWYER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $340,836 total reported compensation
  • KENNETH GAUL (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $225,825 total reported compensation
  • APRIL DISLERS (VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS): $164,001 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Transforming the lives of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Chicagoland through person-centered education, therapy, residential, and employment programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Helping hand's adult learning programing provides genuine care and education to over 400 adults. There are many focus areas for learning that are chosen by the person in the program so they can achieve their goals. Each person helping hand serves is unique and has their own interests. Helping hand provides an array of choices from job training and support to retirement and aging programs. Helping hand encourages each person to explore new skills in the arts (culinary, painting, dance, music, etc.), stem, computer science, athletics, and community advocacy to name a few. Each area incorporates independence and autonomy into the curriculum. Everyone helping hand serves has access to mental health and behavioral therapy along with case management.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 82% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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.
  • 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.2%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 84.6%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 10.7%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.68; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.2%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 78.2% of revenue deployed · 84.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $19.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $341K · 23 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $273K reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 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 18/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.