Western Illinois University Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
376046814
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Macomb, IL, USA
Phone
3092981861
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$13,187,852
Expenses
$11,167,523
Assets
$124,684,504
Liabilities
$1,335,633

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • David L Miller (Vice President)
  • Randall S Germeraad (President)
  • Clare A Thompson (Executive Director Thru 3/31)
  • Amy Crosby (Executive Director Starting 4/1)

Highest reported compensation

  • Clare A Thompson (Executive Director Thru 3/31): $204,571 total reported compensation
  • Amy Crosby (Executive Director Starting 4/1): $109,182 total reported compensation
  • Stacy Dorethy (Recording Secretary): $102,179 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to maximize private support for Western Illinois University to assist in advancing its core values of academic excellence, educational opportunity, personal growth, and social responsibility. Private support enables Western Illinois University to enhance educational opportunities for its students and advance its mission of instruction, research, and public service.Private assistance is sought and administered with the primary objective of serving purposes other than those for which the State of Illinois makes sufficient appropriations.These contributions, when added to State resources, add an extra dimension by supporting programs that might not otherwise be possible. Such generosity enables Western Illinois University to enhance educational opportunities for its students and advance its mission of instruction, research, and public service.

What it reported doing in 2024

Approximately, 3,056 scholarships and 33 faculty & staff awards were distributed during the year. Grant totals: Scholarships: $3,138,956; Faculty awards and grants $44,667; Education: $420,432; TOTAL: $3,604,055.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 58% for direct work, and 42% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - 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 some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 84
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.1%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 77.5%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 24th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 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: 15.3%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.16; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.3%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.1% of revenue deployed · 77.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $8.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $205K · 21 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 36 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.