United Way of the Golden Triangle Region

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
640567987
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Columbus, MS, USA
Phone
6623701922
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Federated Giving Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$671,378
Expenses
$995,173
Assets
$1,064,408
Liabilities
$664,754

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARTI KAUFFMAN (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • JAY FISHER (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • MONTY GILBREATH (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • DR STAN MCCRARY (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • ELISE WILSON (PRESIDENT)
  • YVETT ROBY (CAMPAIGN CHAIR & VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • RENEE SANDERS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $70,308 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to empower sustained changes in education, health, and financial stability of our community.

What it reported doing in 2024

United way administers the annual fundraising campaign to collect donations to invest in education, income and health programs and initiatives delivered by multiple programs helping residents of lowndes county who have the greatest needs. Additionally, united way administers the annual fundraising campaign to collect donations that allow donors to choose where their contribution goes. These designated funds are passed through to the other not-for-profit organizations. United way collects donor dollars to fund community impact work in education, income, and health by mobilizing caring to effect change by promoting volunteerism, community philanthropy and community building. Current initiatives include partnering with helping hands for the annual fan drive; partnering with local businesses for coat and blanket drives in the winter; familywize prescription assistance; emergency food and shelter grant program; participating with the lowndes county emergency management agency for disaster response preparations; and conducting various community participation events, such as day of service, day of giving, day of action, and make a difference day.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 70% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 66% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 88
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 65.4%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 88.6%; rating input score 89; 38th 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -48.2%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.07; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.62; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.1%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97% of revenue deployed · 65.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 28 of 28 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $651K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $70K · 29 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 30 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 14 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 13 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 9/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 45/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 47/100.