My Way Out Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
871385421
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2022, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone
4146286397
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Rehabilitation Services for Offenders

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$838,005
Expenses
$426,475
Assets
$582,122
Liabilities
$16,679

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KAREN COY-ROMANO (PRESIDENT & TREASURER)
  • SARWAT SHARIF (VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS)
  • DR NADIYAH JOHNSON (VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS)
  • RUBEN GAONA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • RUBEN GAONA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $83,000 total reported compensation
  • KAREN COY-ROMANO (PRESIDENT & TREASURER): $39,000 total reported compensation
  • SARWAT SHARIF (VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS): $1,923 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Using the voice and expertise of 'credible messengers' we empower, inspire and enrich the lives of justice-impacted individuals by bringing together customized community resources, supportive service providers, and second-chance employers. By reducing recidivism, building strong communities through peer networks, and keeping families together, we will help bring hope and prosperity to marginalized communities.

What it reported doing in 2025

Reaching in-helping out: personalized pre- and post-release reentry planning for justice-impacted individuals in wis. Correctional institutions.onboarding justice-impacted individuals post-release to my way out's crm technology platform to provide 24/7 access to an assigned supportive service provider for up to 3 years post release and access to multi-faceted support services. Building a path to success'- certificate program, a collaborative partnership between my way out, the milky way tech hub, and the u.w. Madison extension to provide a 6-week training program for incarcerated individuals to provide essential hands-on skills training featuring rent smart, financial literacy, bridging the tech gap tech to navigate online searches for resources and employment, resume writing & interviewing skills, and exposure to ai-virtual reality training in key careers.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% 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.

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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 45
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 31.8%; rating input score 32
  • Program expense ratio: 62.4%; rating input score 62
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 49.1%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.36; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 29.1%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 36.5% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 52.6% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 59.8% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 31.8% of revenue deployed · 62.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $266K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $83K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 32/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.