Lutheran Family Service
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 420702558
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Fort Dodge, IA, United States
- Phone
- 5155733138
- Rating
- 87
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Human Service Organizations
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,853,563
- Expenses
- $2,619,248
- Assets
- $728,819
- Liabilities
- $917,057
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Mr Ken Stotmeister (President)
- Mr Mark Niebuhr (Vice President)
- Rev Max Phillips (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Rev Max Phillips (Executive Director): $129,853 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We walk with people who are experiencing hard times—and being there for them just as God has been there for us. All services provided by Lutheran Family Service are made possible through the care and concern of Christian people throughout Iowa and beyond. Help us continue our mission of service and care by making a gift to support our work. Give Today A Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), Lutheran Family Service provides Pregnancy Support, Adoption Services, Marriage & Family Counseling, and Mental Health Counseling, Church Worker Wellness, and Congregational Outreach. As a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, gifts are tax deductible as allowed by the law.
What it reported doing in 2024
Christ-centered counseling is provided to individuals, couples and families by licensed and professionally trained family therapists. A sliding fee scale based on income is available for those without insurance. Gifts from individuals, congregations and organizations make this possible.
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
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: 87
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 13
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 85.2%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.05 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st 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: 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- 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: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -41.3%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.28; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.26; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.5%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 85.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $130K · 10 people listed
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 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 31/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Document-retention policy not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 4/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.