Ignite

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
383819049
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2010
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
5109920288
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Student Services, Organizations of Students

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,266,442
Expenses
$2,517,631
Assets
$1,039,474
Liabilities
$131,277

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SARA GUILLERMO (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • SARA GUILLERMO (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $172,248 total reported compensation
  • AMANDA CONLEE (CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER (THRU MARCH)): $168,537 total reported compensation
  • SOFIA HUIZAR (CHIEF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER): $158,304 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To build the largest, most diverse movement of young women who are ready and eager to own their political power.

What it reported doing in 2024

Ignite is a non-partisan organization that builds political ambition in young women, with a focus on those who are underserved. Ignite provides civic education, exposure to women in political leadership, hands-on training and work opportunities, and a peer network of women who support and nurture each other's aspirations for civic engagement and political leadership. Ignite serves young women (ages 14-26) in their own communities, with an emphasis on lower-income women.during fiscal year 2025 the organization accomplished the following: ignite trained over 5,600 young women on high school and colleges across 60 campuses in the u.s. Young women saw ignite's voter education messaging 1.4 million times during the 2024 election cycle. Over 1400 gen z women mobilized their peers to learn about voting, to register and to engage in the 2024 elections.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% 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

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: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 17
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.2%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 77.6%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.73 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: -11.1%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.41; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 34.8%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.8% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.8% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.2% of revenue deployed · 77.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $172K · 21 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $114K reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.