Wharton Graduate Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
232731689
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2158981077
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,048,713
Expenses
$5,085,057
Assets
$3,298,010
Liabilities
$299,387

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TYLER JACKSON (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • DON DAO (EVP STUDENT)
  • ALLIE DIPIETRO (EVP LEADERSH)
  • CHELSEA HARTANTO (CFO)

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

The purpose of the wga is to be an advocate for the student voice and facilitate student endeavors, all under the auspices of improving wharton school. It is the purpose of wga to: (1) contribute to the improvement and development of the wharton school; (2) assist wharton mba students in reaching their academic and professional goals; (3) generate student input into policies and procedures which affect the student community; (4) represent the interest of and advocate for the wharton mbas; (5) build and support a cohesive mba community; (6) build connections and promote communication among current students, alumni, faculty, administration, university of Pennsylvania community, and the leaders of business and government.

What it reported doing in 2024

Wga is the primary vehicle for coordinating and managing student activities and initiatives, both academic and extracurricular. In addition to student representation, wga provides monetary and logistical resources to over 180 different clubs. Wga is the caretaker of wharton's mba traditions and school-wide events, including the red and blue ball, follies, say yes to education, global healthcare volunteer program, rebuilding philadelphia together, wharton 54, spring gala, and countless others. Wga student dues subsidize these events, making it possible for the largest number of students to participate. Members of wga are eligible to take part in or attend any of these events (often requiring a sponsored ticket purchase). More than 180 student clubs/conferences shape the wharton mba experience in all areas. They focus on interests ranging from social, like the wine club, to international and cultural, like whalasa, to athletic, like the wildman hockey league, to professional, like the media and entertainment club. Wga enables countless opportunities for you to create relationships and explore your interests.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 69% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 94.1%; rating input score 94
  • 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: 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.7%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.65; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.1% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 95% of revenue deployed · 94.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $746K reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.