Sherwood Center for the Exceptional Child

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237413671
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone
8163333344
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Specialized Education Institutions

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,732,159
Expenses
$4,126,856
Assets
$7,297,242
Liabilities
$257,703

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LINDSEY LANZISERO (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JON BINDER (PRESIDENT)
  • KIA WALSH (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • KIA WALSH (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $176,603 total reported compensation
  • AMANDA SHATTO (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $144,930 total reported compensation
  • LINSEY FERRELL (DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT): $111,112 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Sherwood autism center's mission is to empower children and adults with autism and related developmental disabilites to maximize their potential in family and community life. While autism remains an important area of expertise and focus, the agency serves children and adults of all ages with a wide range of needs and disabilities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Sherwood center was the first organization in Kansas city to provide day services for adults with autism. Sherwood successfully raised over 3 million dollars to build a new addition to our 8030 ward parkway plaza location. With much needed new training rooms designed to increase a person's independent functioning, physical health, communication, cognitive training, socialization, domestic and economic management, and activities of daily living, behavior support, responsibility and self-direction. We are proud to offer pre-vocational services that include job training and placement. Employment services are customized to meet the goals and service needs of each individual after understanding each person's strengths and interests. In fy 21-22, we provided services for 37 adults, operating monday-friday, 52 weeks a year excluding holidays. Sherwood provides on-site and off-site in small staff ratio (1-1:1-6) funded by the department of mental health.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 93% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

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: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.2%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 83.1%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.73 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: 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: -10.6%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.77; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.5%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.2% of revenue deployed · 83.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $3.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $177K · 13 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • 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 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.