Valley Strong Credit Union

Legal name: Valley Strong Cu Fka Kern Schools Federal Credit Union

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
951652797
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Bakersfield, CA, US
Phone
(800) 221-3311
Rating confidence
Limited
Sector
Credit Unions

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$263,698,848
Expenses
$233,387,885
Assets
$3,916,563,936
Liabilities
$3,598,601,030

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

Leadership & pay

53 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NICHOLAS AMBROSINI (PRESIDENT/CEO)
  • CHEI WHITMORE (MARKET PRESIDENT)
  • KATHLEEN JULIA KELLY (MARKET PRESIDENT)
  • BRIDGET LYNN JOHNSON (MARKET PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL P DUFFY RETIRED (EVP/CHIEF ADVOCACY OFFICER): $4,549,220 total reported compensation
  • NORA M STROH RETIRED (LEGACY AMBASSADOR): $1,664,619 total reported compensation
  • STEVEN G LEIGA RETIRED (VP OF ACCOUNTING): $1,649,275 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

See schedule ovalley strong credit union is a cooperative, organized for the purpose of promoting thrift and savings among its members, creating a source of credit for them at rates of interest set by the board of directors, and providing an opportunity for them to use and control their own money on a democratic basis in order to improve their economic and social conditions. As a cooperative, valley strong credit union conducts its business for the mutual benefit and general welfare of its members with the earnings, savings, benefits, or services of the credit union being distributed to its members as patrons.

What it reported doing in 2024

Valley strong credit union is a member-owned financial institution, with a mission to turn people's financial possibilities into financial realities. We work every day to create a better tomorrow for our children and families. We are here to stay and grow together, and here to discover the best financial possibilities for the best possible outcomes. We are one of the largest credit unions headquartered in the san joaquin valley and northern California with an asset size of nearly $4 billion.membership education conferences: we have extensive workshop/online seminar programs with topics which typically are held in the various markets. Topics covered are auto and home buying, retirement and wealth management, business banking, cyber security and medicare assistance. Additionally, we hold financial literacy classes at local schools (k-12) as well as area colleges and community partner locations to help introduce our young community members with financial knowledge.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 87% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 74.4%; rating input score 74; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 11.5%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 16.78; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.92; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.2%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 21.5% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $4.5M · 53 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $17.9M reported
  • Consistency: 12 of 13 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 113 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 46 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 — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.