Unseen

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
451068854
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Fargo, ND, USA
Phone
7012613598
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Nonprofit Management

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$932,790
Expenses
$1,092,830
Assets
$1,066,432
Liabilities
$53,208

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NATHANAEL BAARDSON (CEO AND BOARD MEMBER)

Highest reported compensation

  • NATHANAEL BAARDSON (CEO AND BOARD MEMBER): $116,658 total reported compensation
  • JENNY MATTHES (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $114,729 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Accelerate the growth of anti-trafficking and root cause organizations to impact more people globally. We envision a world where exploiters are stopped, vulnerable people have livelihoods, and trafficking survivors pursue lives of freedom and impact.

What it reported doing in 2024

The strategic grant initiative (sgi) program channels restricted donor contributions directly to vetted organizations' capital projects, providing a powerful new avenue to accelerate the fight against human trafficking. This approach complements unseen's traditional operations, enabling us to engage a broader donor base while addressing the critical needs of our partners.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 72%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 61.2%; rating input score 61
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 18th 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: -17.2%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.98; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21.2%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 20% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 72% of revenue deployed · 61.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $669K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $117K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.