Wake for Warriors
Legal name: Wake for Warriors Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 462605668
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2019
- Location
- Hamilton, GA, USA
- Phone
- 678-696-9054
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Military, Veterans' Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $319,441
- Expenses
- $313,933
- Assets
- $544,771
- Liabilities
- $5,932
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- David James Deep (President & Board Member)
People named in this filing
- David James Deep (President & Board Member)
- Bill Rich (Vice Pres & Board Member)
- LaTreva Thompson (Sec/Trea & Board Member)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Wake for Warriors is not just another veterans charity; it's a lifeline for our wounded veterans and their families. Through the transformative power of water sports, we provide therapeutic experiences that go beyond the ordinary. Wakeboarding and wake surfing aren't just thrilling activities; they serve as pathways to physical and emotional healing for those who have sacrificed so much for our country.
What it reported doing in 2024
Event Program - 300 injured service members participated in 29 events held in 16 states. Each event provided travel, lodging, meals, supplies, equipment and adaptive appliances. This allows injured service members to enjoy a weekend on the lake engaging in watersport activities and comradery.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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. The filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars and revenue has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 69
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 50
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 90.2%; rating input score 90
- Program expense ratio: 91.6%; rating input score 92
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
- 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: 1.7%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.74; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -9.6% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 90.2% of revenue deployed · 91.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $288K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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 — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.