National Assoc of Blind Merchants
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 383731356
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Knoxville, TN, USA
- Phone
- 8658060469
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Blind/Visually Impaired Centers
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $549,053
- Expenses
- $547,584
- Assets
- $400,766
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
15 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- NICHOLAS GACOS (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- NICHOLAS GACOS (PRESIDENT)
- HAROLD WILSON (BOARD MEMBER)
- EDWARD BIRMINGHAM (1ST VICE PRE)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To serve as an advocacy group for the advancement of vocational opportunities for the blind and a support group for blind merchants/entrepreneurs to improve business opportunities and quality of life for the blind.
What it reported doing in 2024
The goal of the expenditures is to provide a means of collective action for blind business people to promote the vocational; economic; business; cultural; and social advancement of the blind; and to maximize opportunities under the randolph-sheppard act to strengthen and enhance business enterprise programs; and to take such other action that improves the overall condition and standard of living of the blind. In 2015, the organization launched an educational program consistent with its mission in partnership with hadley institute for the blind and visually impaired which has strengthened business enterprise programs authorized under the randolph-sheppard act.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 77% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 43% for direct work, and 57% for grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 89
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 47
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88.9%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 89.1%; rating input score 89
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0.3%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.73; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 88.9% of revenue deployed · 89.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $488K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 15 people listed
- Consistency: 21 of 22 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 3 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.