World of Difference Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
208331980
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Salem, UT, USA
Phone
8014231147
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Relief

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$328,540
Expenses
$638,513
Assets
$2,117,614
Liabilities
$6,417

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JODI NIELSEN (Vice President)
  • RICHARD P NIELSEN (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • ALYCESUN CLARE (Director): $100,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Projects at World of Difference are focused on one or more of our three program pillars - agriculture, education and health -- in communities in Africa that are under-served. Many of our projects involve volunteers from the U.S. partnering in-country with our African neighbors to accomplish specific goals and objectives for sustainability. Having acquired land in Malawi in 2022, WOD has spent time and resources designing and implementing plans for how this land will be used to accomplish our strategic objectives. Many of our objectives directly impact individuals and families in the 14 villages that surround us.

What it reported doing in 2024

Land development and staple crops: WOD desires to build capacity in our Malawi team for them to lead out in the various initiatives where we hope to have impact. WOD added two key members to our Malawi management team in 2024 including an administrative officer, and a macadamia / agricultural specialist. WOD again employed local community members in short-term / temporary assignments to assist in the implementation of these agricultural projects. The harvest from staple crops of ground nuts, soya, and maize (500 lbs, 1.8 tons, and 2.2 tons respectively) were used in feeding programs with several of our partner organizations and schools, as well as supplementing the resource needs of our agriculture team. The macadamia tree farm was expanded by preparing additional acreage by clearing trees and vegetation and leveling the soil. Holes were dug for an additional 4000+ tree seedlings which will be planted during the rainy season. The goal remains that this will become our source of operational sustainability in the outyears.Agriculture projects: Malawi is ranked 174 out of 189 countries in terms of poverty and relies heavily on agriculture, which employs over 80% of the population. We seek to provide immediate support to local farmers and community members by improving soil health, crop rotation, and teaching the fundamental principles of sustainable crops.WOD hosted three additional agriculture trainings with 50+ participants in each. Each was a 5-day course covering topics such as: swales, water management, zoning, companion planting, soil regeneration, and how to increase crop yields. Participants came from Madesa, Mpunda, Mchiliko, Chitsindo, Mandala, Mchepa, and walked away equipped with basic knowledge and approaches to increase food security at a low cost. A 1 acre parcel was used to establish a demonstration garden which will be used in the agricultural trainings to provide examples of: crop diversification, higher yield crops, companion planting, water management, etc.Education projects: As indicated in the demographic characteristics reported in our 2023 baseline survey, 62.3% in Msundwe, Malawi catchment area have not completed primary education, while only 3.7% have completed secondary education.? Donated over 500 lbs of educational supplies to Mingongo, Mkanga, Maliwa and Mzobwe primary and secondary schools, as well as Thrive and Agape organizations.? Eighteen Malawi volunteers and WODs community senior manager surveyed educationstakeholders in the area, and as a result hosted the first ever inter-school competition. School performance improved as students prepared, and awards of much needed educational resources were given for most accomplished students, and school with the overall best score. The schools have enthusiastically requested help in facilitating another competition in 2025.? As in 2023, again in 2024 our volunteer expedition team, along with 15 Malawi volunteers and our Malawi leadership team, hosted a variety of educational workshops touching on the following topics: women empowerment, male mentorship, agriculture, and jewelry making. We partnered with Eunice Banda, the official Days for Girls representative in Malawi, to deliver a workshop for young girls and women on menstrual hygiene and provided 300 hygiene kits that had been purchased through Zayane Creations, infusing funds into the local economy. More than 350 people from the community participated in these combined workshops.? We finalized designs and drawings, and launched the construction of the community resilience center.Health Projects: In partnership with Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, WOD hosted faculty and students as part of our volunteer expedition team. They donated over 400 lbs of medical supplies to: Malawi College of Health Sciences, Kamuzu Central Hospital, Nthondo and Mingongo rural clinics, and Child Legal International Hospital.The medical team also accomplished the following:? Continued partnership with Thriv

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 60% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 12
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 72.5%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -94.3%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.32; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.7%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 24.7% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.9% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 35.5% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 72.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 10 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $463K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $100K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.