Veterans First Limited
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 320035793
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2016–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2015
- Location
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Phone
- 6028417663
- Rating
- 70
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Fund Raising and Fund Distribution
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,091,060
- Expenses
- $176,166
- Assets
- $1,510,315
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JOAN E SISCO (FOUNDER/CEO)
- DARLENE GONZALES (VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- JOAN E SISCO (FOUNDER/CEO): $55,648 total reported compensation
- DARLENE GONZALES (VICE PRESIDENT): $3,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Preventing homelessness and suicide through stabilizing lives by providing advocacy, programs, services, and referrals for all veterans and their families, with special emphasis on disabled, senior, and women veterans. Proudly serving Arizona veterans since 2003.
What it reported doing in 2024
Advocacy building effective trust and communication to build a relationship so the veteran will open up to the issues they are facing, to include but not limited to, post traumatic stress, military sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, domestic violence and other physical and mental health issues. At such time we are able to understand the issues, we collaborate with our network which includes federal, state and local agencies, organizations, groups and individuals. We assist with advocacy on an average 2 to 5 people per day, 95 are veterans and would estimate that 5 are non-veterans that we provide resources and referrals to address their issues. Outreach program locating women veterans with special emphasis on those that are struggling financially and suffering from physical and mental health issues, including but not limited to, post traumatic stress, military sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, suicidal ideation, depression, isolation, and physical trauma.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 80% for direct work, and 20% 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 available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 49
- Transparency & Controls: 89
- Accountability: 80
- Sustainability: 84
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 16.8%; rating input score 17
- Program expense ratio: 87.7%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $284.51 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- 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: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 83.9%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.57; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 33.3%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -4.3% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 14.4% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 16.8% of revenue deployed · 87.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $154K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $56K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 21 of 22 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2016 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 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: Mission deployment rate scored 17/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.