Whatcom Family Young Men's Christian Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
910482690
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Official website data refreshed
Jul 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone
3607338630
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Young Men's or Women's Associations
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,787,946
Expenses
$11,481,872
Assets
$15,006,376
Liabilities
$4,024,651

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Courtney Whitaker (Chief Executive Officer)

Highest reported compensation

  • Courtney Whitaker (Chief Executive Officer): $192,717 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Whatcom family ymca (the ymca) is a 501(c)(3) association organized to advance the cause of strengthening community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. The ymca is an association of men, women, and children committed to bringing about lasting personal and social change. With a focus on nurturing the potential of every child and teen, improving the community's health and well-being and providing opportunities to give back and support neighbors, the ymca enables youth, adults, families and communities to be healthy, confident, connected and secure.

What it reported doing in 2025

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY - The Whatcom Family YMCA believes in giving back and supporting our neighbors. We have been listening to and responding to our community's most critical social needs for more than 135 years. YMCA programs such as weekly food delivers to those suffering from food insecurity, free water safety classes to help prevent drownings, and our open door policy, which states that no one is ever turned away for lack of funds, are examples of how we deliver training, resources and support that empower our neighbors to effect change, bridge gaps and overcome obstacles, In 2025 we engaged over 10,500 YMCA members, participants and volunteers in activities that our community and pave the way for future generations to thrive.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 63% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 92% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 88.9%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 83.5%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.26 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • 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; 76th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: 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: -6.4%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.31; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 88.9% of revenue deployed · 83.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $9.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $193K · 16 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 46 of 46 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 31/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.