Why Me Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042880644
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
Worcester, MA, USA
Phone
5087573311
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,533,401
Expenses
$1,142,941
Assets
$7,025,943
Liabilities
$87,583

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TERRENCE SHEPHERD (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • REBECCA KUCZARSKI (EXECUTIVE DI): $97,393 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The main goal of the organization, w.h.y. M.e., is to provide services and programs to alleviate the isolation, desperation, and constant stress children and their families face as they cope with childhood cancer. Individualized program components are adjusted to best serve the specific, immediate and long-term needs of each child and each family. Daily visits to the children's cancer clinic with teddy bears, toys, games, puppets, refreshments and laughter help clinic visits go by a little bit faster. W.h.y. M.e. Provides birhtday celebrations, treatment milestone celebrations, and fun parties to children when a painful procedure is completed.

What it reported doing in 2023

The organization provides direct financial and emotional support ot children with cancer and their families.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 61.1%; rating input score 61
  • Program expense ratio: 65.4%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 25.5%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.15; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.5%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 61.1% of revenue deployed · 65.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $747K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $97K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2023
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.