Together For Life Northland

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270447207
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2019, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Duluth, MN, USA
Phone
2184610564
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Reported finances

Revenue
$423,333
Expenses
$359,825
Assets
$991,505
Liabilities
$625,204

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Lyle Johnson (Interm Chair)
  • Kynze Lundeen (Board Member)
  • Sue McClernon (Board Member)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Star of the North Maternity Home provides safe homes and programming for pregnant women and women with young children experiencing housing instability to improve their health and and the health of their children, while moving toward self-sufficiency

What it reported doing in 2024

SON Twin Ports Assisted 11 moms and 9 children during FY 23-24. We had Moms who were able to enroll in college and begin their educational journey to self sufficiency. We assisted pregnant women and most moved to independent housing after leaving us. Residents prepare their own breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, and plan the dinner menu and prepare the evening meal together. By doing so, they learn how to plan and prepare nutritious, cost-effective meals for themselves and their children. Onsite training provided skills in health and nutrition, budgeting, dental care, parenting, and more. We had mission teams support us with outdoor projects and we added a new driveway to our home which helps with off street parking for the safety of Moms and Staff/Volunteers.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.6%; rating input score 75
  • Program expense ratio: 87.6%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $66.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.76; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.63; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.8% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.9% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.6% of revenue deployed · 87.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $315K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 13 of 14 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.