Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center of Milwaukee
Legal name: The Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center of Milwaukee
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 390806234
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Phone
- 414-964-4444
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Neighborhood Centers
- Affiliation
- Judaism
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $19,610,949
- Expenses
- $20,928,933
- Assets
- $50,708,418
- Liabilities
- $24,381,935
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
37 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MARK SHAPIRO (PRESIDENT/CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- MARK SHAPIRO (PRESIDENT/CEO): $458,873 total reported compensation
- TOMMY JOSTAD (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $227,244 total reported compensation
- JONAH GELLER (CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER): $224,009 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Creating spaces. Building opportunities. Inspiring Jewish moments for diverse communities. What’s in our mission statement? Everything we need to serve you, our community, and our future. As a non-profit organization committed to serving the entire community with inclusive Jewish spirit, an innovative charge, and a commitment to being here at every stage of your journey, the JCC Board of Directors offers this statement to articulate the ‘why’ of an agency of our scale, our diversity, and our unique and evolving place in this community.
What it reported doing in 2024
Early childhood development - the jcc's early childhood development program strives to provide a happy and relaxed learning situation that emphasizes the process of learning and the pleasure of discovery. As a diverse community, we create connections that enrich our everyday living and learning. Our dedicated early childhood educators are continually enhancing our rich program of excellence inspired by jewish tradition and values, strengthened by active parent involvement. We build trusting relationships that support each child's individuality, creativity and potential.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 72% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- 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
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: 85
- Transparency & Controls: 77
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 35
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 91.7%; rating input score 92
- Program expense ratio: 85.9%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: $11.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 24th 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: No; rating input score 0
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: -6.7%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.42; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.48; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.2%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 91.7% of revenue deployed · 85.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 31 of 31 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $18M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $459K · 37 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
- Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 43/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 14/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.