South Dakota Mines Center for Alumni Relations Advancement
Legal name: Sdsm&t Center for Alumni Relations & Advancement
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 466011771
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2011
- Location
- Rapid City, SD, US
- Phone
- 605.394.2436
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $29,330,699
- Expenses
- $18,056,200
- Assets
- $176,230,668
- Liabilities
- $4,972,204
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
26 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MARC VAILLANCOURT (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- BRADLEY JOHNSON (VP- DEVELOPM): $197,604 total reported compensation
- MARC VAILLANCOURT (CEO): $169,553 total reported compensation
- LEAH MAHONEY (DIR PLANNED): $130,795 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Rooted in Hardrocker pride and tradition, CARA’s mission centers on strengthening South Dakota Mines through connection, service, and support. Our Mission the structure of a brick arch in the quad at south dakota mines. History & Mission Rooted in Hardrocker pride and tradition, CARA’s mission centers on strengthening South Dakota Mines through connection, service, and support. Our Mission. the structure of a brick arch in the quad at south dakota mines Governance & Policies.
What it reported doing in 2024
Provide scholarships and fellowships to students attending South Dakota mines. Scholarship recipients are selected by the South Dakota mines financial aid office. Prizes and awards are given to students according to specific award criteria.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 78% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 70
- Transparency & Controls: 96
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 88
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.4%; rating input score 64
- Program expense ratio: 85.7%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: $16.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 38.4%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.76; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.4%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -13.3% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -8.1% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 64.4% of revenue deployed · 85.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $15.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $198K · 26 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $10.2M reported
- Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 13 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 4 filed related-organization links
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.