Social Vocational Services
Legal name: Social Vocational Services Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 953284250
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Torrance, CA, USA
- Phone
- 3109443303
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Vocational Rehabilitation
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $168,643,066
- Expenses
- $151,354,440
- Assets
- $206,246,751
- Liabilities
- $76,425,964
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- EDWARD DAWSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- MARCIA DAWSON (ASSOC. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- VENDA STANBERRY (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- EDWARD DAWSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $1,869,998 total reported compensation
- MARCIA DAWSON (ASSOC. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $1,254,432 total reported compensation
- PAMELA STEPHENSON (DIR OF OPERATIONS): $420,870 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Provide training and support so people who participate in SVS services can achieve their social, recreational, vocational, and residential goals. Are you looking for support services for yourself or someone you know who has an intellectual or developmental disability? We think SVS is your answer. Offering a wide range of personalized services, we create daily experiences that are engaging, accessible and safe. With a variety of service options and over 80 locations throughout the state of California, SVS is confident we can meet your needs. Service offerings include a variety of Community Inclusion, Career Exploration, Employment, Independent/Supported Living Services, and more.
What it reported doing in 2024
Day programs: svs programs are delivered and coordinated from 92 locations throughout California and serve approximately 6,455 clients. The day programs serve approximately 5,843 developmentally disabled adults in 82 of these locations and include community work, behavior management, community integration, and day activity centers. Transportation is also a component to the service.
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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 59
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 82.2%; rating input score 82
- Program expense ratio: 91.7%; rating input score 92
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- 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: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 10.3%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.36; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.1%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 82.2% of revenue deployed · 91.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $138.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $1.9M · 17 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.7M reported
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 19 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.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.