Wuerffel Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
851271960
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone
4044928274
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Management & Technical Assistance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$635,859
Expenses
$662,105
Assets
$546,395
Liabilities
$7,743

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANNY WUERFFEL (CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD & PRESIDENT)
  • JAMES GADSBY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & BOARD TREASURER)

Highest reported compensation

  • DANNY WUERFFEL (CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD & PRESIDENT): $228,751 total reported compensation
  • JAMES GADSBY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & BOARD TREASURER): $191,700 total reported compensation
  • BLAIR N WORTSMITH (PROGRAM MANAGER & BOARD SECRETARY): $87,581 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The foundation seeks to inspire greater service and unity in the world through honoring, developing and mentoring community leaders, and facilitating introductions to philanthropically minded supporters.

What it reported doing in 2024

Continued to inspire, develop and honor community service leaders. Leveraged public and social media platforms to share inspiring stories of community service, recognize community service leaders and promoted information about worthy causes. Through mr. Wuerffel's public profile, further raised public awareness of honored charitable organizations and cultivated generosity toward community service efforts and charitable efforts of honored organizations, both through direct financial support and introductions to philanthropists. The wuerffel trophy continued to grow visibility in recognition of honoring annual recipient, finalists, semifinalists and nominees via broadcast, social and print/digital media. Mr. Wuerffel also mentored past wuerffel trophy recipients as they supported and provided leadership to organizations in their local communities. Additionally, the foundation team provided coaching for multiple nonprofit founders as they navigated options to launch their causes.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 75% for direct work, and 25% for grants.

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: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 67
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.2%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 86.6%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $69.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: 75%; rating input score 75; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -4.1%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.83; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 44.3%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 24.2% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.3% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.2% of revenue deployed · 86.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $574K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $229K · 6 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 26/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.