Wellspring Lutheran Services

Legal name: Lutheran Homes of Michigan Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
261630687
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Saginaw, MI, USA
Phone
9896523470
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,570,769
Expenses
$257,348
Assets
$12,246,152
Liabilities
$16,642

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID M GEHM (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAVID M GEHM (PRESIDENT & CEO): $296,255 total reported compensation
  • TIMOTHY KALBFLEISCH (SR. VP FINANCE AND CFO): $243,520 total reported compensation
  • JILL M HAISER VP OF MKTG (RECRUITMENT & BRAND STRAT., CMO): $192,463 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Motivated by Christ's love, we engage people as they experience and embrace their God-given potential. Financial gifts are used to offset the cost of items not covered by insurance, including chaplain services, activities, camp, art and music therapy, outings and much more. If you'd like to make on online contribution to support the programs of Wellspring Lutheran Services, please use the secure form below. The Foundation The Wellspring Lutheran Foundation is unique. It is our goal to be as transparent as possible with the work we do, so you, as a supporter of our mission, can be a part of this journey with us ... every step of the way.

What it reported doing in 2024

Support and complement the christian, lutheran mission and ministry of lutheran homes of Michigan, inc. And its related organizations and lutheran child & family service of Michigan, inc. Through the solicitation, receipt, and disbursement of philanthropic and charitable funds collected on behalf of services and programs associated with lutheran homes of Michigan, inc., dba wellspring lutheran services and lutheran child & family service of Michigan, inc. Dba wellspring lutheran services.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 91% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 39
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 87
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 23.4%; rating input score 23
  • Program expense ratio: 79.9%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.1%; rating input score 99; 48th 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: 83.6%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 47.59; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.5%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.5% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: 23.4% of revenue deployed · 79.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $206K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $296K · 16 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 18 of 19 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 13 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 23/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.