Vss Catholic Communications Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911857425
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Omaha, NE, USA
Phone
4025710200
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Christianity
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,913,311
Expenses
$2,650,440
Assets
$8,501,734
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ERIC SVOBODA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND SECRETARY)
  • JEANETTE WOJTALEWICZ (PRESIDENT)
  • REV KEN BOROWIAK (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • BERNIE SCHAEFER (VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JIM CARROLL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (SECRETARY (THRU 7/25)): $188,892 total reported compensation
  • BERNIE SCHAEFER (VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT): $178,212 total reported compensation
  • PATRICK HENRY (DIRECTOR OF SALES & UNDERWRITING): $153,357 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Dedicated to answering the call of the late holy father, st. John paul ii, for a new evangelization. Our charism in the mission of evangelization is to broadly employ broadcast media to transmit the gospel of jesus christ with the fullness of the living tradition as preserved, revered and proclaimed by the catholic church. To provide an alternative to the secular programming found on radio and television, serving the religious educational needs of listeners across Nebraska, western Iowa, and across the united states via our app and online streaming.

What it reported doing in 2025

Vss catholic communications, inc. Dba spirit catholic radio network, operates nine full-power fm radio stations, and three translator stations across Nebraska which serves Nebraska, western Iowa, and parts of South Dakota, Missouri, Wyoming and Kansas - reaching over 2 million potential listeners. We also provide programming and engineering support to eight low-powered fm affiliate stations. We are challenging our listeners to grow in their faith each day. We feel that the biggest problem we have to address is the moral decay of our culture and life of selfishness lived by many people. If people grow in their faith, they become more altruistic and live their lives for others that expresses itself through kindness, charity and selflessness. Jesus christ and the teachings of his church.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.7%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 71.1%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.39 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.21; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 24.1%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.7% of revenue deployed · 71.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 13 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $189K · 18 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.