Meals on Wheels of Asheville and Buncombe County Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
561115597
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Asheville, NC, USA
Phone
8282535286
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Human Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,203,782
Expenses
$1,328,869
Assets
$3,140,013
Liabilities
$83,144

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Debbie Sprouse (Executive Director)
  • Donna Mann Belt (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Debbie Sprouse (Executive Director): $95,497 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 of Asheville and Buncombe County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health, safety, and independence of homebound older adults by providing nutritious, home-delivered meals and meaningful moments of human connection.

What it reported doing in 2024

Meals on Wheels of Asheville and Buncombe County (MOWABC) operates Monday through Friday with a Board of Directors, 16-member staff and a network of over 300 volunteers. Meal delivery is available each weekday to Buncombe County seniors age 60 and older who are homebound, without regard to race, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or ability to pay. MOWABC received 13% of its funding through local, county, and state agencies. Approximately 87% of our support came through private donations from individuals, businesses, faith based groups, and foundations, as well as annual fundraising events and program income.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 80% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 52.9%; rating input score 53
  • Program expense ratio: 85.8%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $24.6 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 65; 65th 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: 8 of 8 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: 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: 39.7%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.36; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.2%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 52.9% of revenue deployed · 85.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $95K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 53/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.