Operation North Pole Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270868752
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Des Plaines, IL, USA
Phone
8478135387
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Children's, Youth Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$245,091
Expenses
$258,141
Assets
$539,004
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Barbara J Dabler (President & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Barbara J Dabler (President & CEO): $37,390 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 holiday gifts and parties for sick children and their families, and also to provide new winter coats to children in need during the holiday season.

What it reported doing in 2025

In december of 2025 operation north pole - hosted their annual fantasy trip to the north pole for approximately 65 families who have a child battling a life threatening/terminal illness. The trip includes an overnight stay at a local hotel, a ride on a special holiday theme wrapped union pacific metra commuter train, a visit to santa's winter wonderland, which is a 28,000 sq. Ft. Decorated banquet facility located at the donald e. Stephens convention center in rosemont, Illinois, and holiday presents for boys and girls aged 12 and younger in the family. Mission of our lady of the angels - in 2025 the organization partnered with walgreens stores for a holiday toy drive for the benefit of the mission of our lady of the angels which is located in the inner city of chicago. This mission provides basic needs for the area residents who are located in one of the poorest neighborhoods in chicago. The organization helped fund the missions annual christmas party by providing toys and gifts that were collected at walgreens stores in the area.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 85% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.8%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 75.8%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.07 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: -5.3%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.09; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.5%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -8.3% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.8% of revenue deployed · 75.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $196K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $37K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 35/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.