YMCA of the Fox Cities

Legal name: Young Men's Christian Association of the Fox Cities

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
390806191
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Appleton, WI, USA
Phone
9209547659
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Young Men's or Women's Associations
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$38,796,642
Expenses
$37,621,319
Assets
$67,473,096
Liabilities
$9,233,062

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

Leadership & pay

40 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Bret Salscheider (President/CEO)
  • Heidi Erickson (District Executive Director)
  • Scott Schanhofer (District Executive Director)
  • Susan Pawlowski (Executive Vice President Brand and Mission Advancement)
  • Thomas Wendt (District Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Bret Salscheider (President/CEO): $294,834 total reported compensation
  • Danielle Englebert (COO): $190,527 total reported compensation
  • Emma Reiser (CFO): $186,468 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The YMCA of the Fox Cities is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening our community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Our mission is to put Christian principles into practice by promoting youth, adult and family activities that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

What it reported doing in 2025

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: WE EMPOWER AND INSPIRE COMMUNITY ACTION. At the YMCA, we believe everyone deserves the chance to belong and thrive. That's why we provide financial assistance to ensure that cost is never a barrier to Y memberships or programs. FOR 138 YEARS, THE Y HAS BEEN GIVING BACK AND SUPPORTING OUR NEIGHBORS. We listen closely to the needs of our communities and respond with programs that make a real difference-like LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, Safety Around Water, and Outreach Childcare. These initiatives equip individuals and families with the tools, support, and confidence to bridge gaps and create positive change. In 2025, thousands of members, participants, and volunteers joined us in strengthening our community and laying the foundation for a healthier future. Through it all, the YMCA provided $5.3 million in community benefits, including financial assistance for memberships, childcare, and programs-making it possible for kids and families of all backgrounds to stay active, engaged, and well.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 87% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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

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: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 47
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.1%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 82.7%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.79; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.6%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 84.1% of revenue deployed · 82.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 31 of 31 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $31.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $295K · 40 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 39 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grants require schedule f did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.