United Way of San Diego County

What it reported doing in 2024

United way of san diego county ensures children, individuals, and families have the support they need to achieve educational success and financial security.education: united way of san diego county is deeply committed to education, and the urgency of our work has never been more apparent as the educational achievement gaps within our community continue to widen. By listening to the people in our region's distinct, vibrant communities, we urgently address deeply rooted disparities in historically under-resourced communities where children are not reaching their full potential. We collaborate with these communities and leverage the strength of our partners countywide - businesses, government, schools, policymakers, and nonprofit organizations - to collectively achieve lasting change for children, young adults, and families. To bridge these gaps across the region, which typically fall along racial and socio-economic lines, we strategically focus on key areas such as early childhood literacy, so children can reach milestones like reading proficiently by the end of third grade, and career readiness, so students are exposed to high-paying, in-demand steam careers across different industries. We engage 12k donors, 341 community and corporate partners, 22 schools, and 942 volunteers to serve over 45k families and children throughout san diego county. We know we are achieving our goals by tracking family engagement, developing literacy-rich environments for children, and measuring the number of students who see steam careers as a possibility through after-school programs and summer work-based learning opportunities.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 68.9%; rating input score 69
• Program expense ratio: 56.2%; rating input score 56
• Fundraising efficiency: $3.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -14.4%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.55; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 16.1%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -13.4% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -9.8% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings