The Home for Little Wanderers Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042104764
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6172673700
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Children's, Youth Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$105,998,972
Expenses
$94,448,333
Assets
$127,721,574
Liabilities
$28,724,540

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

Leadership & pay

33 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LESLI SUGGS (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • LESLI SUGGS (PRESIDENT & CEO): $520,810 total reported compensation
  • JODY HOLT (CHIEF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION): $297,287 total reported compensation
  • WILFORD TUNEY (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $287,028 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To help vulnerable children and their families build permanent, positive change.

What it reported doing in 2024

Transitional programs: the home offers a number of programs for those moving into adulthood who need additional help and resources to further their educational and vocational goals and to prepare them for meaningful lives:- hillsborough village scattered site apartments programing aimed to create an intermediate step between our program-based units and independent living.- roxbury village provides safe, affordable housing for youth who are - or are at risk of being homeless, while helping them to develop critical skills, life plans and connections to community resources.- somerville village: support for higher education enables young women who are homeless or at-risk for homelessness to pursue post-secondary education by providing housing, therapeutic, emotional, and educational supports.- roxbury village provides transitional housing for young adults between ages of 18-22, who have typically been involved with the child welfare system.- liberty village is a shelter for young adults between the ages of 18-25, who are experiencing homelessness.- roxbury house staffed and supported apartments provides apartment style housing and services designed to promote health, wellness, and recovery through person-centered services and supports that enable individuals to live, work, attend school and participate in their communities.- scattered site apartments - youth receive intensive coaching around the development of life skills through case management services while they transition to learning to live independently.- youth on fire provides a day-time facility, basic needs and support services to homeless youth between the ages of 14-24.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 89% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.8%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 84.4%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 10.9%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.35; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.8% of revenue deployed · 84.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $79.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $521K · 33 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.9M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 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: 13 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.