Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237077479
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Bethlehem, PA, USA
Phone
6106257888
Rating
59
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$955,381
Expenses
$936,916
Assets
$628,311
Liabilities
$251,872

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • DIANE DIMITROFF (EXEC DIR/SECRETARY(THRU AUG, 2024)): $153,255 total reported compensation
  • JANET BAKER (EXEC DIR/SECRETARY(EFF. SEPT. 1 2024)): $139,815 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Lvaic is a community of independent colleges and universities growing stronger through collaboration.

What it reported doing in 2024

Group purchasing - lvaic seeks to identify strategic sourcing and procurement opportunities that meet the common needs of our members. Lvaic does not purchase any goods directly on behalf of the members, but rather, works in conjunction with members and suppliers to establish mutually beneficial agreements. Working together, members in the consortium can purchase goods and services collectively to maximize financial resources and operational efficiencies through effective procurement practices while leveraging our collective volume and expertise.lvaic institutions work together to identify or source high value opportunities for joint purchasing through membership in group purchasing organizations (gpos) or through lvaic preferred suppliers or contracted vendors. By utilizing lvaic preferred suppliers or contracted vendors, members are assured of doing business with suppliers that offer competitive pricing, consistent and proven service, and excellent performance.

Operating model

Revenue model
Membership-supported. 68% of the money available for current operations came from membership dues.
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

MIXED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 37
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.4%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 78.9%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 1.9%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.67; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 31.3%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.3% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.4% of revenue deployed · 78.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 8 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $740K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $153K · 10 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 6 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.