SimplifyInc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
811526973
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2022, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Sheboygan, WI, USA
Phone
9202898139
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Financial Counseling

Reported finances

Revenue
$283,199
Expenses
$309,945
Assets
$22,653
Liabilities
$70,756

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kristen Stearns (President)
  • Lisa Musch (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Tammy Harris (CFO): $80,000 total reported compensation
  • Lisa Musch (CEO): $80,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Providing financial stability for individuals/families. Simplify, Inc. is a trusted Sheboygan financial partner, helping families and individuals of the community.

What it reported doing in 2025

Provide Financial Stability Representative payee Services-We manage social security money for individuals deemed incapable of handling their finances. We make sure basic needs are met first. Voluntary Financial Management Services-For those individuals/families who dont want to; have time to; or dont know how to manage their finances, we do it for them. Sheboygan County Health & Human Services- Assist individuals/families with applications and/or renewals for foodshare and/or badgercare on a regular basis.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 99% 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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 11
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 22
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -9.4%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.07; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 3.12; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 51.6%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.5% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.9% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $310K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $80K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.