United Spinal Association Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
135612621
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Fort Totten, NY, USA
Phone
7188033782
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Military, Veterans' Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,843,270
Expenses
$7,952,746
Assets
$6,018,311
Liabilities
$1,610,316

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • VINCENZO PISCOPO (PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • VINCENZO PISCOPO (PRESIDENT/CEO): $229,924 total reported compensation
  • ABBY ROSS CHIEF (OPERATING OFFICER THRU JAN 2025): $174,718 total reported compensation
  • DOMINIC MARINELLI (VP, ACCESSIBILITY CONSULTING SERVICES): $167,511 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Empower and advocate for people with spinal cord injury or disease and all wheelchair users to achieve their highest quality of life.

What it reported doing in 2024

United spinal association continues to work with businesses and government to ensure that newly built and renovated construction complies with accessibility codes. The accessibility services program also conducts training for architects, design professionals and building code officials throughout the united states. Vetsfirst continued its advocacy on behalf of veterans. Our national service officers assisted veterans in addressing their health care needs and claims for va benefits. Vetsfirst staff provided counseling and direct claim and appeals representation before the va to approximately 1100 veterans and their dependents and survivors. United spinal association provided significant support to individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders impacted by natural disasters. The organization gave direct grants and worked with vendors to provide services for repair and replacement of roofs, ramps, medical equipment, personal items and other items destroyed by hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and other events.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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

SUPPORTED - 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: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.5%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 69.2%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.26 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 94.5%; rating input score 95; 29th 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: 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: -16.2%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.76; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.1%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -6.2% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -7.6% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.5% of revenue deployed · 69.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $230K · 29 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 39 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 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: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 9/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.