Meals-on-wheels Greater San Diego Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
952660509
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Diego, CA, USA
Phone
6192606110
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$13,555,654
Expenses
$12,379,719
Assets
$30,306,219
Liabilities
$14,161,263

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRENT WAKEFIELD (PRESIDENT AND CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • BRENT WAKEFIELD (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $220,281 total reported compensation
  • KEITH FISHER (CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER): $180,325 total reported compensation
  • MATTHEW TOPPER (CONTROLLER): $147,901 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Meals on wheels san diego county's mission is to support the independence and well-being of seniors who choose to age in their home or for those that are unable to afford quality institutional care and must remain at home. Many seniors experience chronic illnesses and disabilities that often make activities of daily living difficult. Means on wheels san diego county is part of the community safety net serving older adults in the home with care services that include the delivery of up to two fresh meals a day, daily safety checks (with referral to other social services if necessary) and a friendly visit.

What it reported doing in 2024

Meals on wheels san diego county serves all of san diego county, including the 3,049 square miles of rural and unincorporated areas. Of all seniors served, 85% are considered extremely low to low income according to the 2023 income guidelines by the department of housing and urban development (hud). We subsidize more than 63% of the costs of meals, delivery, and other services provided, regardless of a senior's ability to pay. Further subsidies are provided for seniors who are experiencing severe financial difficulties. For fiscal 2025 (tax year 2024), we served 4,476 homebound seniors throughout san diego county with 709,311 meals, daily safety checks and friendly visits using 3,956 trained volunteers who donated 118,653 hours driving over 690,000 miles. We also provided "animeals'" to 466 senior pet companions during this period. Meals on wheels clients report improved health, security and independence. For millions of americans, meals on wheels programs across the country are literally the difference between remaining in their own homes and needing to relocate to a nursing facility. The nutritious meal, friendly visit and safety check help them cope with three of the biggest threats of aging: hunger, isolation and loss of independence. Research proves that when seniors have the right support, they gain greater quality of life, need fewer hospital stays and live longer.

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.
  • 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.1%; rating input score 96
  • Program expense ratio: 83.7%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 24th 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 8.7%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.45; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.47; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.7%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.6% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 96.1% of revenue deployed · 83.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $10.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $220K · 20 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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 33/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.