The Country Friends

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
956514998
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Rancho Santa Fe, CA, USA
Phone
8587561192
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$559,740
Expenses
$553,115
Assets
$878,491
Liabilities
$6,439

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

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SUZANNE NEWMAN (President)
  • JANEAN STRIPE (President)

People named in this filing

  • YVETTE LETOURNEAU (THIRD VP-DIR)
  • SUZANNE NEWMAN (President)
  • DEBORAH CROSS (FIRST VICE PRES)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The organization's sole purpose is to raise money to support human care agencies with emphasis on those providing services to women, children, and the elderly for the purpose of helping people to help themselves.

What it reported doing in 2025

The country friends is a proud philanthropic member of the community. We are a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1954, and thriving for more than 60 years.our mission is to support san diego based human care agencies, especially those that benefit women, children, the elderly, military and those with disabilities. We generate our funds via our beautiful consignment shop in downtown rancho santa fe, as well as from several popular and well-attended fundraising events. Over the past six decades we have awarded almost $13 million to local san diego human care agencies.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 66% of its reported program spending out as grants.

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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.7%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 82.3%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 86.7%; rating input score 87; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 81.8%; rating input score 82; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.2%; rating input score 96; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 1.2%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.59; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93.7% of revenue deployed · 82.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 26 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $455K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 26 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 28 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 23 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 17 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 15/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.