North Star Family Services Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
030387748
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Leominster, MA, USA
Phone
9784661704
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Homeless Centers

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,165,723
Expenses
$1,164,788
Assets
$10,631,518
Liabilities
$5,554,408

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JON HOGUE (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • JON HOGUE (PRESIDENT & CEO): $203,110 total reported compensation
  • TABITHA CARDONA (VP OF ADMINISTRATION): $107,116 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Provide stable housing, comprehensive services and advocacy for families in need of support.

What it reported doing in 2025

Bonnie's place: the north star shelter offers consistent, personalized case management and support. Specifically, our staff provides the following services: emergency shelter and meals: provide whatever needs a family require whether that be clothing, toiletries, bedding, school supplies and even birthday presents for the children. Warm meals are provided daily by a rotation of 300 volunteers.individualized case management: provide intensive, individualized case management for families to help them gain stability and independence. This includes aiding families with employment, locating childcare, obtaining transportation, learning how to manage their finances and budget appropriately, directing them to appropriate resources, and more.educational training: provide trainings for the families to help them build life skills that they can take with them when they exit the shelter. Trainings include topics such as budgeting, nutrition, stress management, resume writing, positive parenting, job searching, interviewing for jobs, tenant rights, etc.

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 90% 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

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: 79
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 37.2%; rating input score 37
  • Program expense ratio: 67.1%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th 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: 46.2%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.13; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.52; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26.6%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 22.5% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 21.7% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 38.3% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 37.2% of revenue deployed · 67.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $782K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $203K · 18 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $3.2M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 37/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.