United Way of Southeast Minnesota

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
410695594
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Rochester, MN, USA
Phone
5072872000
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Federated Giving Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,126,478
Expenses
$3,478,003
Assets
$3,918,080
Liabilities
$659,634

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JEROME FERSON (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JEROME FERSON (PRESIDENT): $179,762 total reported compensation
  • JULIE RUZEK (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $120,691 total reported compensation
  • DALE O'GROSKE (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $111,392 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

United way of southeast Minnesota is an agent of community change that inspires hope, creates opportunity, and champions people in need.

What it reported doing in 2024

Partnerships and initiatives: (1) running start for school mobilizes the community to collect backpacks and school supplies through the summer months and then distributes the donated supplies to local schools for children who are eligible for free or reduced lunch. (2) 211 is a free, confidential, and multilingual human service information and referral resource available by phone, text, onlinechat, and online self-search. Information is available 24 hours a day on a variety of topics including childcare, counseling, food, health services, housing, legal assistance, transportation, volunteering, andmore. (3) get connected, united way's online tool to connect volunteers to opportunities and events, allows people to volunteer with local organizations that fit the volunteer's schedule and interests. (4) imagination library provides children living in olmsted county the opportunity to receive a free, age-appropriate book in the mail each month from birth to their fifth birthday. Each book is selected for the developmental benefits it brings. (5) the vita free tax preparation initiative connects low-to moderate-income families to opportunities to file their taxes for free. (6) a community school is both a place and set of collective partnerships between rochester public schools, united way of southeast Minnesota, the individual school site, and other community resources. United way of southeast Minnesota serves as a lead partner with rochester public schools to facilitate the partnership and organize community resources to support student success at seven sites. Each site has goals established in the areas of attendance, behavior and curriculum improvements and utilizes results based accountability to track growth. (7) cradle 2career is a community wide initiative that utilizes the nationally recognized strive together model to implement a multiyear, multiphase program to improve educational outcomes in our community and ensure every child and young adult succeeds cradle to career, through shared purpose, alignment and accountability among community partners. United way of southeast Minnesota is one of several partner organizations and serves a variety of roles within the community wide initiative, including administrative support, data support and leadership.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 49% for direct work, 50% for grants, and 1% for affiliated organizations.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 74.4%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.98 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 89.4%; rating input score 89; 25th 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: -11.2%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.13; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.8%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.8% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 83% of revenue deployed · 74.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $180K · 19 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 38 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 47 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 43 filed related-organization links
  • 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 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 41/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.