Western Association of College and University Business Officers

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
680380952
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Superior, CO, USA
Phone
7206164150
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Adult, Continuing Education

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,967,793
Expenses
$1,595,313
Assets
$2,047,601
Liabilities
$367,160

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL CLUNE (PRESIDENT (AS OF 05/24))
  • LUPE VALENCIA (PRESIDENT (UNTIL 04/2024))
  • BRAD BACA (PAST PAST PRESIDENT)
  • TERESA COSTANTINITIS (PAST PAST PRESIDENT (UNTIL 05/24))

People named in this filing

  • MICHAEL CLUNE (PRESIDENT (AS OF 05/24))
  • LUPE VALENCIA (PRESIDENT (UNTIL 04/2024))
  • ROBYN PENNINGTON (1ST VP)

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

Western association of college and university business officers' (wacubo) mission is to offer opportunities to members to develop professionally, to explore issues and trends in higher education, and to engage with colleagues to share their expertise. This mission is fulfilled through professional development activities, including an annual conference, an institute, a series of workshops, and through networking and leadership opportunities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Business management institute: the business management institute (bmi) is an annual professional development program held on the campus of the university of California, santa barbara. Bmi provides in-depth professional development on several topics of relevance for business officers in higher education. The faculty members for bmi are professionals of academia regarded for their knowledge of higher education management and leadership issues. The curricula for bmi is continually updated and refined to address primary and current issues facing wacubo members.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 98% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70.3%; rating input score 70
  • Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 18.9%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.28; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70.3% of revenue deployed · 88% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 21 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $310K reported
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.