United Community Ministries Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
540850780
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Alexandria, VA, USA
Phone
7032558979
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,096,381
Expenses
$7,502,558
Assets
$4,174,923
Liabilities
$1,120,333

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LEAH FRALEY (PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN BRYANT RICE (COO): $159,008 total reported compensation
  • LEAH FRALEY (PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $134,106 total reported compensation
  • STEPHEN LUTERAN (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $128,658 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 build thriving communities and create equitable opportunities by providing supportive services and advancing community-driven solutions.

What it reported doing in 2024

Community development: sacramento neighborhood center and creekside village community center serve as hubs for 15 local neighborhoods to meet, learn, and grow as neighbors and as a larger community. These centers are places where residents connect with their neighbors, learn to lead, and make changes that strengthen their community, with programs that are developed by and for local residents. The creekside location was vacated and program initiatives ended effective august 31, 2024. The spark program (success through purpose, achievement, respect, and knowledge) is a multifaceted youth development program for students in grades 1-12. Spark provides a safe after-school and summer environment where at-risk youth can receive homework help, learn new skills, and engage in activities that promote leadership and intervention/prevention of negative behaviors. Working with fairfax county, ucm provides resources for learning, mentorship, and health screenings to community residents of all ages.ucm sponsors two community school programs at walt whitman middle school and mount vernon woods elementary school. Ucm works with teachers to provide students and their families with direct access to the health and social services they need to succeed in and outside of the classroom. Ucm provides students and their families with access to youth and community development programs and community engagement opportunities that promote stronger families and healthier communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 77% for direct work, and 23% for grants.
  • 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: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89.7%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 84.3%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -5.7%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.56; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.3%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 89.7% of revenue deployed · 84.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 9 filed program accomplishments · $6.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $159K · 19 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 19/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.