Voices for Independence
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 251727199
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Erie, PA, USA
- Phone
- 8148740064
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Education N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $19,993,064
- Expenses
- $18,468,692
- Assets
- $12,981,402
- Liabilities
- $1,713,161
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SHONA EAKIN (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- SHONA EAKIN (CEO): $236,367 total reported compensation
- STACY KEMMLER (CFO): $178,054 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The purpose of voices for independence is to empower people with disabilities, improve the quality, independence, dignity, and control of their lives, as well as to promote a philosophy of independent living, including a philosophy of consumer control, peer support, self-help, self- determination, equal access, and individual and systems advocacy, as well as the integration and full inclusion of individuals with cross disabilities into the mainstream of american society.
What it reported doing in 2024
Home modifications & assistive technology programs -support provided to over 300 individuals with disabilities by managing physical adaptation construction projects & providing assistive technology devices totalling approximately 8,600,000 of costs for medical assistance eligible individuals. Vfi offers a variety of assistive technology programs to support individuals with disabilities in achieving greater independence and quality of life. These programs include operating assistive technology resource centers; providing training and technical assistance and funding assistance; and participating in an assistive technology lending library.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 91% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- 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 - 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 69
- Transparency & Controls: 80
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 53
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71.6%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 76.9%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.24 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: 7.6%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.7; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 71.6% of revenue deployed · 76.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $14.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $236K · 11 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $6.2M reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 4 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.