South Dakota Telecommunications Association
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 460319642
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Pierre, SD, USA
- Phone
- 6052247629
- Rating confidence
- Limited
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $894,496
- Expenses
- $691,850
- Assets
- $858,142
- Liabilities
- $114,257
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
19 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CHAD MUTZIGER (PRESIDENT)
- STEVE MEYER (VICE PRESIDENT)
- KARA SEMMLER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- KARA SEMMLER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $212,541 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
This non-profit corporation is organized for purposes of aiding South Dakota's rural telecommunication industry. The association, representing telecommunications service providers, strives to: represent the interest of its membership before regulatory and legislative bodies; furnish its membership with information on subjects relating to legislation and regulation affecting telecommunications and other forms of communication services; provide training to its members and their representatives in matters related to the provisioning of telecommunication services, including, but not limited to, training related to worker safety, telecommunications technology, and customer service; maintain and improve relations between its members and the public; and to aid in educating the public regarding the provisioning of telecommunications services and other communications services in rural areas.
What it reported doing in 2024
To provide education to member company directors and employees regarding regulatory and legal changes. The organization aims to provide the following specialized education each year: (i) board directors (policy and regulatory), (ii) supervisor training, (iii) office professionals training (accounting, hr and customer service), (iv) marketing professionals training, (v) plant and technology workshop (technician training). In addition, every second year (in odd years) the organization holds a puc forum. The forum is intended to address regulatory and legal challenges, opportunities and changes with puc commissioners and staff as guests.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 93% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.
The verdict
- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 74
- Sustainability: 57
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: Limited
- Program expense ratio: Limited
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- 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: 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 22.7%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.24; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 30.7%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
- Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments
- Leadership: top reported pay $213K · 19 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 11 of 11 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.