Ruck-up Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Program narrative and services breakdown: since it's very humble beginnings as an idea around a picnic table at surry dam park, ruck up's efforts and goals have focused on trying to help veterans in new england by "filling the gap" on services and assistance that other organizations miss or are unable to help with. We do that keeping to our 3 "pillars" of supportive service- advocacy, outreach [includes efforts in suicide prevention], and counseling. All this is done by volunteers, and with donations or grants only. We receive absolutely no state or federal funds. In 2020 we served 363 vets and families in new england, rising to 402 in 2021, spiking to 730 in 2023, and this 457 this year in 2024.advocacy services- ruck up provides free advocacy and assistance services for va and social security claims in our catchment area. In 2021, that meant more than $1,480,355 in benefits and services "won" on behalf of our client veterans we serve, over $1,640,000 in 2023. That includes not only disability benefits, but also vocational rehabilitation benefits with the va. Much of our time and efforts go into records retrieval, interaction with treating medical agencies, filing, and pressing claims. This takes up much of our administrative costs. Fy24: $1,889,806 in benefits and services "won", over $13.4 million in 8 years.outreach services - while our outreach services include other efforts, a good portion of them is our food and clothing shelf for veterans and their families in need. We help fill a gap often not met by other local agencies, and we work side by side with the keene community kitchen in our efforts. Until the 2020 pandemic, our efforts also included feeding local area vets every friday with a "no-cost cookout", and every year we feed area vets at thanksgiving who have no one to share it with. Our food shelf has continued to be operational, and in 2023, ruck up gave out more than 2.97 tons of food and clothing to veterans in need, with a cost of $65,000 in food & clothing. That rose significantly this year, 2024, to 3.18 tons of food & clothing.homeless prevention - in our local keene community, we interact with other community agencies in helping veterans with emergency housing and food, but also in the last few years we have helped veterans obtain housing or save the homes they are in with "homeless prevention" funds worked in cooperation with agencies such as easter seals, friends of veterans, vets inc, va hud/vash, harbor homes, and our local vva, vfw, and american legion riders. This has been our biggest area of growth in the last 7 years. These grants, payable only to utilities and mortgage firms/landlords, are at maximum of $600 per veteran, per year, unless specifically raised by case by the board. We cannot do more. But the coordination between us and other agencies has kept families housed in some severe circumstances. In 2018, $5,200 was committed to aiding veterans with rent, utilities, and basic services assistance in work with other agencies. Those numbers rose to:-$13,205 in 2019 -in 2020, 71 vets were aided at a cost of $37,500 -in 2021, $59,530 - 2022, $83,000 aiding vets -in fy23 $84,400 and this last year 2024 , $93,657 in direct aid, assistance, and food was provided to veterans in new england. Along with the other community outreach efforts we make, ruck up every year for the last 15 years now, has hosted and provided to area veterans and families all the supports and supplies to do the yearly "candle vigil in the park". Each memorial day weekend, in an effort like the "moving wall" veterans gather to pay honor to the men and women lost in service to our nation from our area. Every year, more than 4,200 candles that ruck up provides, along with all the supportive staff and equipment, help light up the center of keene, nh in honor of our veterans and the fallen. Counseling services- ruck up helps provide vet2vet peer counseling and aa services for veterans from not only nh, but also vt, and western ma. I

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 74.6%; rating input score 75
• Program expense ratio: 87.2%; rating input score 87
• Fundraising efficiency: $25.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd 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: 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
  • 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: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 14.4%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.14; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: Limited
• Revenue growth: 19.7% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 29.4% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings