The Wadena Fire Department Relief Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
416038931
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Wadena, MN, USA
Phone
2186397426
Rating
50
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$135,284
Expenses
$31,688
Assets
$1,542,517
Liabilities
$1,255,086

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NATE BIEDERMAN (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • GEORGE KVETON (TRUSTEE): $2,360 total reported compensation
  • JEREMY ZAIC (SECRETARY): $1,500 total reported compensation
  • MATT ROUSSLANG (TREASURER): $1,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Firefighter support and pension benefits.

What it reported doing in 2025

Community services - fire prevention education; support fire department through donations for the purchase of fire-fighting equipment and supplies; and provide pension benefits to fire department members.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 20
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 39
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 13.3%; rating input score 13
  • Program expense ratio: 37.6%; rating input score 38
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 44.4%; rating input score 44; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 76.6%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 48.68; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.81; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -35.8% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.8% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 13.3% of revenue deployed · 37.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 9 board members independent · 3 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $12K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $2K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 13/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 38/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.