Lowell Alumni Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
946125408
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone
4153476866
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alumni Associations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$809,074
Expenses
$891,548
Assets
$9,116,031
Liabilities
$451,898

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

Leadership & pay

40 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Peter Lee (President)
  • Phillip Shinn (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • TERENCE ABAD (Executive Dir.): $15,121 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Lowell Alumni Association (LAA) maintains and enhances relationships that serve and support our alumni, students, school and the Lowell community.1. Scholarships: The LAA awards a number of scholarships each year to graduating seniors. Most scholarships are one-time awards, although a few are multi-year awards. The LAA Scholarship Committee solicits applications from graduating seniors and selects awardees, sometimes in consultation with Lowell High School faculty/staff.2. ADVOCACY: THE LAA ENGAGES IN PUBLIC ADVOCACY IN SUPPORT OF LOWELL HIGH SCHOOL'S CONTINUED EXISTENCE AS AN ACADEMIC PUBLIC MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL WITH OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC AND EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS TO SERVE STUDENTS FROM THROUGHOUT SAN FRANCISCO.3. Reunions: The LAA encourages alumni to hold regular class reunions and provides support to class reunion committees.4. Grants and gifts: Upon application by Lowell faculty, staff and coaches, and with approval of the LAA Board of Directors, the LAA makes grants and gifts

What it reported doing in 2024

Programs ServicesThe Lowell Alumni Association communicates regularly with our more than 33,000 alumni, former faculty and other friends of Lowell High School. We also supported and facilitated a significant number of class reunions this fiscal. In addition to alumni services, the LAA developed a program named LEAD that reaches out to middle school students who have the desire and potential to attend Lowell High School that brings these students to Lowell for tutoring by Lowell High School students. This program that started with one (1) school has expanded to two (2) middle schools. The LAA Executive Director supports those efforts as well as various alumni relations activities, including alumni participation in Lowells annual commencement exercises and Lowell High School performing arts and athletic events.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 60% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 83% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.4%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 80.5%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -10.2%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.22; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92.4% of revenue deployed · 80.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 30 of 30 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $718K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $15K · 40 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 59/100.