Skills for Chicago

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
451287418
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3129067200
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Job Training

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,978,774
Expenses
$7,949,563
Assets
$4,982,749
Liabilities
$1,196,458

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

Leadership & pay

35 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRIDGET ALTENBURG (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • PAMELA TULLY (PRESIDENT & CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • BRIDGET ALTENBURG (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $361,116 total reported compensation
  • PAMELA TULLY (PRESIDENT & CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $222,971 total reported compensation
  • SUSAN DUNSETH (VP, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT): $180,878 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

See schedule othe mission of skills is to stand as a life-changing employment resource connecting underrepresented job seekers to employers with opportunities across industries. We do this by building multi-level, trusted relationships with our employer partners to break down barriers in the hiring process and connect them to overlooked talent. We work with community partners to prepare unemployed talent for jobs and to provide supportive services to ensure those placed can stay in those jobs. The vast majority of skills' candidates come from disinvested communities on the south and west sides of chicago, which experience unemployment rates 3-5x higher than the national average. Skills colocates in offices in south, west and southwest side neighborhoods to make its services convenient to job seekers and to maintain a close pulse on community needs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Credential and career coaching: credential and career coaching (formerly known as career access) program targets unemployed and underemployed participants seeking middle-skill roles, for which they may need an industry-recognized credential including - licenses, certificates, and certifications. This program includes: credential connection - skills works with credentialing partners to recruit individuals who are at or near completion of training, provides individualized job seeker support, and places them into a role aligned with their training. Career pathways - skills provides more intensive support and engages the job seeker before they begin their education and training journey. Through career pathways, skills helps jobseekers enroll in classes with education partners and places them into entry-level roles where they can earn income and gain work experience, ultimately connecting them to a middle-skill job opportunity as they advance or complete education and/or training.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 77% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 14
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 83.2%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.25 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.7%; rating input score 97; 26th 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: -59.7%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.63; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.8% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 83.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 29 of 30 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $6.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $361K · 35 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 31/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.