Speak with Purpose

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
854312183
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Renton, WA, USA
Phone
2066599720
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$945,239
Expenses
$888,192
Assets
$278,363
Liabilities
$8,520

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TOYIA TAYLOR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • DAVID DOCKENDORF (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JULIA CURNS WELCH (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • TOYIA TAYLOR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $131,458 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Through the transformative power of public speaking, swp empowers young scholars to dismantle dominant narratives, uplift their cultures and communities, forge self-authored identities, and become forces for change.

What it reported doing in 2025

Speak with purpose (swp) is the only youth public speaking program seamlessly integrated into classroom hours across partnering schools in king county. In 2025, swp empowered over 750 scholars in grades 38 across six partnering public schools. Of these schools, six are title i, serving students with the greatest needs, including those who identify as lgbtqia, english language learners, immigrants, unique learners, and mckinney-vento youth. Swp facilitates over 20 classes weekly, contributing more than 600 in-school class hours annually, along with up to 75 hours of coaching sessions and community speaking engagements, amplifying the voices of young leaders in our community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 88
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.8%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 67.8%; rating input score 68
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 84.6%; rating input score 85; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 6%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.31; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.8%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 38.4% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 37.7% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.8% of revenue deployed · 67.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $602K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $131K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 26 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 47/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.