Rogue Food Unites

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
853168023
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Ashland, OR, USA
Phone
5412385055
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Disaster Preparedness and Relief Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,952,224
Expenses
$3,446,501
Assets
$11,824,960
Liabilities
$454,798

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • AMBER FERGUSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • AMBER FERGUSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $197,434 total reported compensation
  • STU O'NEILL (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $136,160 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Rogue food unites (rfu) uses food to heal individuals and communities during times of crisis. Rfu coordinates with locally-invested food businesses to provide fresh, nutritious, and shelf-stable ingredients, assembled and delivered to our communities. While meeting the fundamental human right for food, rfu strengthens local economies: fostering collaboration, preserving jobs for residents, building resilience, and ensuring food security and sovereignty in Oregon.

What it reported doing in 2024

In non disaster times, the rfu food truck program is designed to increase visibility and awareness of the work rfu does. We do this through serving thoughtfully produced meals made from regionally sourced organic ingredients at community events across the rogue valley. This offers the community an opportunity to support rfu's disaster preparedness efforts and the neighbors unite no cost, no barrier farmers market, all while also enjoying a healthy meal. This program increases rfu's purchasing power with local and regional producers while supporting the development of a robust local food system. Relationships with allied organizations and cultural institutions will be strengthened due to the continued partnerships. In the event of a local disaster, rfu's food truck has the ability to provide immediate response through cooking hot meals for impacted communities. If a local chef or restaurant loses their business due to disaster, the food truck can provide a space to cook for relief efforts and help keep revenue coming into their small business.

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 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 72.1%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $22.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 19th 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: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -76.5%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.43; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.7%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 30% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 72.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $197K · 5 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.