United Way of the Bluegrass Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 610444679
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Lexington, KY, USA
- Phone
- 8592334461
- Rating
- 69
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Human Services N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,369,635
- Expenses
- $3,681,000
- Assets
- $4,546,178
- Liabilities
- $1,161,807
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
26 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- TIMOTHY JOHNSON (PRESIDENT)
- KATHY GOSNELL (VICE PRESIDENT, FIANANCE AND ADMINISTRATION)
Highest reported compensation
- TIMOTHY JOHNSON (PRESIDENT): $210,393 total reported compensation
- KATHY GOSNELL (VICE PRESIDENT, FIANANCE AND ADMINISTRATION): $98,662 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 the bluegrass (uwbg) fights for the education, financial stability, health, and basic needs of every person in central Kentucky for over 100 years. Uwbg focuses on improving lives by creating opportunities for all individuals to succeed through collaboration with community partners, local businesses, and volunteers, striving to build stronger communities and empower individuals to achieve self-sufficiency. Last year uwbg and our partners served over 116,000 individuals across central Kentucky.
What it reported doing in 2024
Waypoint: waypoint centers are the next step in the evolution of delivery of non-profit-based health and human services in lexington. Uwbg's waypoint strategy was born out of an in-depth analysis of our regional community and current demographics, and a meaningful understanding of what our community needs to evolve into a better, more resilient bluegrass. Waypoint's mission is to create a one-stop access point for families and individuals, and to provide vital programming to people living in underserved neighborhoods and communities of color. Waypoint centers coordinate an ecosystem of partners and programs to have the greatest impact on local families from a physical and place-based anchor in their communities. Uwbg has launched its inaugural three (3) waypoint centers in neighborhoods across our region where our help is needed most. The three centers are located in 1) lexington's west end (black and williams recreational center), 2) lexington's east end (marksbury family waypoint center at historic palmer pharmacy) and 3) in paris, Kentucky at the bourbon paris ymca. In the year ended june 30, 2024, centro de san juan diego waypoint center opened and the waypoint center in paris, Kentucky was closed. Our team of community impact specialists meet participants where they are on their journey forward and provide personalized support to help stabilize individuals in crisis, move families toward self-sufficiency, and create innovative solutions to break the cycle of generational poverty. Waypoint centers are a place where the community can go to lean on a trusted neighbor and access exceptional services. Waypoint centers will help stabilize, grow, and empower every person and family, no matter their current financial situation or zip code.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 64% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 65% for direct work, and 35% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 58
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 28
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 66.5%; rating input score 66
- Program expense ratio: 58.9%; rating input score 59
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.72 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- 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: 86.5%; rating input score 86; 24th 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 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -9.2%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.24; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.4%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -5.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -0% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 66.5% of revenue deployed · 58.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 24 of 24 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $210K · 26 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 35 of 37 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 45 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.
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 59/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 16/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 14/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 44/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 35/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.