Synergy Education Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
454400991
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2014
Forms available
Form 990 2014
Location
Pittsburg, CA, USA
Phone
9252521900
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,707,651
Expenses
$1,910,551
Assets
$1,141,637
Liabilities
$1,935,552

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CYNTHIA RUEHLIG (President)
  • EDGAR CORTES (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARGIE DIGIORGIO (FINANCE DIR.): $130,099 total reported compensation
  • CHERYL TOWNSEND (PRGM DIRECTOR): $116,393 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Synergy's mission is to create a collaborative learning environment that meets the academic and social needs of our students while preparing them for college and 21st century careers.

What it reported doing in 2014

6-8 education

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 99% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70%; rating input score 70
  • Program expense ratio: 62.5%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -11.9%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.6; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.7; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.9%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -7.6% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.4% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -70.2% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70% of revenue deployed · 62.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $130K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2013 to 2014
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.