The Posse Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

The recruitment and training programs include the following sub-programs: recruitment, pre-collegiate training, campus and career and alumni. For the recruitment program, from september through december each year, posse conducts the dynamic assessment process (dap), a unique evaluation method designed to identify young leaders who might be missed by traditional admissions criteria, but who can excel at selective colleges and universities. For the pre-collegiate training program from january to august of their senior year in high school posse scholars meet weekly with staff trainers and their posse peers for two-hour workshops. The training program consists of workshops that address four areas: team building and group support, cross-cultural communication, leadership and becoming an active agent of change on campus, and academic excellence. For the campus program, posse staff members visit each university four times a year for meetings with posse scholars, campus liaisons and mentors. Each mentor meets weekly with the posse as a team and with each scholar individually every two weeks during the first two years in college. In addition, posse facilitates an annual weekend-long posseplus retreat attended by members of the larger student body, faculty and administration, with the goal of discussing important campus issues identified by posse scholars. For the career program, posse plays an integral role in the professional development of our scholars and alumni by providing them with the tools and opportunities necessary to secure highly competitive and career-enhancing internships and jobs. One of the ways posse achieves this is by partnering with exceptional companies and organizations both nationally and abroad. Currently, posse has more than 250 partner companies and organizations nationwide. The career program has three core components: the internship program, career development workshops, career coaching, graduate and fellowship programs and the alumni network.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 91.9%; rating input score 92
• Program expense ratio: 76%; rating input score 76
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
• Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 98%; rating input score 98; 31st percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 1.9%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.91; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 9% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings