United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
356006484
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Valparaiso, IN, USA
Phone
2194643583
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Federated Giving Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,062,837
Expenses
$4,527,881
Assets
$5,341,360
Liabilities
$287,556

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ADAM ODOHERTY (FORMER PRESIDENT)
  • CHRISTOPHER WHITE (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ADAM ODOHERTY (FORMER PRESIDENT): $158,554 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 improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of northwest Indiana to advance the common good.

What it reported doing in 2024

Youthbuild: youthbuild provides workforce development and education opportunities for young adults ages 16-24 in east chicago, gary, and portage, Indiana, combining high school completion support with hands-on construction training and wraparound services. This program was in the initial implementation stage this fiscal year with focus on systems development and policy creation, partnership memorandums of understanding, staff training on federal database systems and grant orientation with anticipated client enrollment in july 2025. Jump start (homelessness support): jump start is a comprehensive homelessness prevention and stabilization program in hammond, Indiana, providing emergency assistance, housing navigation, employment support, and access to healthcare and mental health services. Through individualized case management and coordinated community referrals, helping 49 participants achieve greater stability and self-sufficiency. Level up program: the level up program supports working individuals to set, work toward, and achieve personal, professional, and financial goals. Participants access the community resources needed to upgrade their skills and earning potential and overcome income barriers by through career coaching, financial education, and access to training and certification opportunities. Through personalized career navigation and partnerships with local employers and educational resources, participants gain the skills and support needed to secure and maintain stable employment and financial stability.charity tracker / collective impact: the charity tracker system is a shared case management platform that enables coordinated service delivery among community partners by centralizing client information and referrals. This collaborative approach improves access to services, reduces duplication, and strengthens data-driven decision-making to enhance overall community outcomes. Community resource navigation: the community resource navigation program provides individualized support to connect residents with essential services across northwest Indiana, such as housing, food, healthcare, and employment resources. By serving as a central access point and coordinating referrals across a network of providers, the program helps individuals overcome barriers and move toward long-term stability and self-sufficiency.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 68% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 62
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.3%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 58.2%; rating input score 58
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.31 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -47.8%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.18; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.5%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.3% of revenue deployed · 58.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $159K · 18 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.