The College of Wooster

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
340714654
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Wooster, OH, USA
Phone
3302632321
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$192,267,257
Expenses
$179,488,716
Assets
$720,680,001
Liabilities
$84,856,688

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

Leadership & pay

61 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANNE MCCALL (PRESIDENT)
  • JOHN DAVID JONES (VICE PRESIDENT & TREASURER)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANNE MCCALL (PRESIDENT): $621,220 total reported compensation
  • JOHN DAVID JONES (VICE PRESIDENT & TREASURER): $338,189 total reported compensation
  • LINETTE HILLIS (VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES): $305,581 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The college of wooster is a community of independent minds, working together to prepare students to become leaders of character and influence in an interdependent global community. (continued on schedule o)we engage motivated students in a rigorous and dynamic liberal arts education. Mentored by a faculty nationally recognized for excellence in teaching, wooster graduates are creative and independent thinkers with exceptional abilities to ask important questions, research complex issues, solve problems, and communicate new knowledge and insight.

What it reported doing in 2024

Instruction - the college of wooster is a liberal arts institution that engages motivated students in a rigorous and dynamic liberal arts education. Students are mentored by a faculty nationally recognized for excellence in teaching. Wooster graduates are creative and independent thinkers with exceptional abilities to ask important questions, research complex issues, solve problems, and communicate new knowledge and insight.the college of wooster awarded scholarships to 1,724 undergraduate students, averaging $43,242 per student, to assist in meeting calculated financial need.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 82% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 56% for direct work, and 44% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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 reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 73
  • Accountability: 99
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 92.7%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.44 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 33rd 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: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Limited
    • Conducts field audits: Limited
    • May suspend future funding: Limited
    • Requires financial reports: Limited
    • Conducts site visits: Limited
    • Requires grant agreements: Limited
    • May require repayment: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 97.7%; rating input score 98; 53rd 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: 6.6%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.02; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 92.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 42 of 43 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $166.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $621K · 61 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $24.9M reported
  • Consistency: 46 of 47 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 13 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 23 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 53/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.