Operation Helo Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 331291330
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Cornelius, NC, USA
- Phone
- 9846872490
- Rating
- 57
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Search and Rescue Squads
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,314,926
- Expenses
- $381,871
- Assets
- $4,971,426
- Liabilities
- $38,371
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- MATT MCSWAIN (EXECUTIVE DI): $26,024 total reported compensation
- ERIC ROBINSON (DIRECTOR/SEC): $22,293 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Operation helo is a volunteer-led disaster relief organization bringing help and hope from the skies. Using the power of aviation and a coalition of skilled volunteers, veterans, and pilots, we reach the unreachable in their darkest hours. We deliver life-saving support, bridge the gaps traditional relief cannot, and stay until recovery is complete. No community should face disaster alone, and we make sure they never do.
What it reported doing in 2024
Our response program supported rapid mobilization following severe weather and flooding in North Carolina. Working alongside local emergency management and fire/ems, we staged equipment, established safe access/landing zones, and moved critical supplies into isolated communities. Volunteer teams executed air and ground logistics to accelerate relief, reduce responder fatigue, and shorten the time to community stabilization (see volunteer metrics reported in schedule o).
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% 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
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 38
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 51
- Sustainability: 87
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 5.4%; rating input score 5
- Program expense ratio: 74.6%; rating input score 75
- Fundraising efficiency: $253.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 93; 93rd 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: 60%; rating input score 60; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 92.8%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.02; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12.7%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 5.4% of revenue deployed · 74.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $285K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $26K · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 5/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.