Leadership Tennessee Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
872004805
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Nashville, TN, USA
Phone
6159991082
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public, Society Benefit N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$680,387
Expenses
$647,854
Assets
$365,097
Liabilities
$32,766

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ALFRED DEGRAFINREID II (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ALFRED DEGRAFINREID II (PRESIDENT): $167,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Leadership Tennessee fosters collaborative, non-partisan dialogue on issues of state importance, by connecting and deploying a network of diverse leaders and engaged citizens.

What it reported doing in 2024

Leadership Tennessee next (lt next) lt next is the only statewide leadership program for early to mid-career professionals. Lt next selects approximately 30 mid-career leaders to engage in a four month immersive cohort that fosters cross-state and cross-sector networks twice a year. Participants engage with signature program members, explore Tennessee-specific issues, and develop personal and professional skills. The organization's staff co-develop session agendas with alumni and current members, recruiting state and national leaders to guide discussions. Sessions take place across Tennessee's three grand divisions in varied locations, advancing the organization's mission by preparing participants to serve their communities and professions effectively.an increase in nominations for both leadership Tennessee's signature and lt next programs reflects the growing impact and recognition of our programming. This surge in interest underscores our commitment to expanding reach and relevance, with a continued focus on engaging rural and suburban communities throughout each program year.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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 - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 89
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.6%; rating input score 75
  • Program expense ratio: 78.2%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 4.8%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.56; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 25.8%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 47% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.3% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.6% of revenue deployed · 78.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $507K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $167K · 10 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 49/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 44/100.