Volunteers in Asia

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
941622372
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Menlo Park, CA, USA
Phone
4159048033
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Exchange, N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,128,975
Expenses
$1,176,921
Assets
$4,668,581
Liabilities
$245,265

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Kazutoh Ishida (Executive Dir.): $180,746 total reported compensation
  • Melissa Golden (Dir. of Operations): $126,860 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Through Asia and US-based experiential learning opportunities that encompass self-reflection, creative problem-solving, and cross-cultural connection, VIA equips emerging social impact leaders with skill sets and mindsets to address complex human challenges.

What it reported doing in 2024

All Other Programs - This includes 1) a series of 1-2 week long experiential learning programs held in the US, Asia, and online, 2) online Accelerator programs to support teams to develop projects addressing social issues, 3) the Global Community Fellowship program in which VIA fellows support partner organizations in Asia over a period of 11-13 months, 4) the Social Impact Partnership Conference held in Thailand to convene our partners, alumni, and fellows, 5) short custom programs held in Silicon Valley and Indonesia, 6) staff developing new programs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 52
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.4%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 61.9%; rating input score 62
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 19th 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: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 13th 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: 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: -4.2%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.97; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26.1%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -18.1% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -14.3% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.2% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.4% of revenue deployed · 61.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $729K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $181K · 12 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 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 — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 10/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.