Sertoma Star Services Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237294685
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago Heights, IL, USA
Phone
7087558030
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Vocational Rehabilitation

Reported finances

Revenue
$44,946,146
Expenses
$44,640,965
Assets
$51,782,353
Liabilities
$17,306,586

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KELLY BERARDELLI (PRESIDENT/CEO)
  • GUS VAN DEN BRINK (INTERIM PRESIDENT/CEO - LEFT 10/24)

Highest reported compensation

  • KELLY BERARDELLI (PRESIDENT/CEO): $196,543 total reported compensation
  • GUS VAN DEN BRINK (INTERIM PRESIDENT/CEO - LEFT 10/24): $191,357 total reported compensation
  • MARY GONZALEZ (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $144,378 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Provides pre-vocational training, workshop activities and other rehabilitative services to developmentally disabled individuals and those living with mental illness to empower them to achieve personal success by providing choice and opportunities. Day services include developmental training and senior services and offers supportive and community employment. Also offered are 24 hour residential care and intermiitent residential care services and community mental health services.

What it reported doing in 2024

Community day services: provides support to increase opportunities to learn new skills, develop relationships, and participate in community activities. These support services include but are not limited to individualized training, case management, local community based classes and participation in special olympics. Senior services offers older individuals a unique alternative to traditional day program services by providing opportunities to work and participate in community activities and socialize with their peers. This program allows seniors to remain active, healthy, and contributing members of society. It also specializes in meeting the needs of people experiencing physical, mental, and emotional challenges later in life.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 90% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.3%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 89.3%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.7%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.16; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.1%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16.9% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.1% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.7% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.3% of revenue deployed · 89.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 7 filed program accomplishments · $39.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $197K · 20 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $119K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.