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Port Huron MI | IRS ruling year: 1942 | EIN: 38-1357996
The United Way of St. Clair County is a volunteer organization dedicated to providing health and human services to the residents of the community. Our mission is to ... (More)
The United Way of St. Clair County is a volunteer organization dedicated to providing health and human services to the residents of the community. Our mission is to mobilize the community of St. Clair County to raise funds and/or resources to meet identified human service needs with the highest level of accountability and community involvement. (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 90%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 90% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
11/1/2021 | 2020 | 88.88 | |
3/1/2020 | 2019 | 88.55 | |
6/1/2019 | 2018 | 93.38 | |
12/1/2018 | 2017 | 86.64 | |
12/21/2016 | 2016 | 87.84 | |
8/1/2016 | 2015 | 89.20 | |
7/1/2016 | 2015 | 88.84 | |
This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. | |||
6/1/2016 | 2015 | 86.69 | |
Rating Version: 2.0 | |||
2/1/2016 | 2015 | 81.65 | |
2/1/2015 | 2014 | 85.83 |
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for United Way of St. Clair County is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
United Way of St. Clair County has earned a 89% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
Learn more
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. Our analysts check the Form 990 to determine if the independent Board members are a voting majority and also at least five in number. (Less) | |
No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
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Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
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Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) Making loans to related parties such as key officers, staff, or Board members, is not standard practice in the sector as it may divert the charity's funds away from its charitable mission and can lead to real and perceived conflict-of-interest problems. This practice is discouraged by sector trade groups which point to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act when they call for charities to refrain from making loans to directors and executives. And the IRS is concerned enough with the practice that it requires charities to disclose on their Form 990 any loans to or from current and former officers, directors, trustees, key employees, and other "disqualified persons." Furthermore, some state laws go so far as to prohibit loans to board members and officers. And although employees and trustees are permitted to make loans to charities, this practice can also result in real and/or perceived conflict of interest problems for the charity. Furthermore, it is problematic because it is an indicator that the organization is not financially secure. (Less) | |
Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference. Charities are not required to make their Board meeting minutes available to the public. As such, we are not able to review and critique their minutes. For this performance metric, we are checking to see if the charity reports on its Form 990 that it does keep those minutes. In the future, we will also track and rate whether or not a charity keeps minutes for its committee meetings. (Less) | |
Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) Providing copies of the Form to the governing body in advance of filing is considered a best practice, as it allows for thorough review by the individuals charged with overseeing the organization. The Form 990 asks the charity to disclose whether or not it has followed this best practice. If the charity has not distributed its Form 990 to the board before filing, then we deduct 4 points from its Accountability and Transparency score. (Less) | |
Does not Compensate Board Members ... (More) The IRS requires that any compensation paid to members of the charity's governing body be listed on the Form 990. Furthermore, all members of the governing body need to be listed whether or not they are compensated. It is not unusual for some members of the board to have compensation listed. The executive director of the organization frequently has a seat on the board, for instance, and is compensated for being a full time staff member. However, it is rare for a charity to compensate individuals only for serving on its Board of Directors. Although this sort of board compensation is not illegal, it is not considered a best practice. (Less) |
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
Conflict of Interest ... (More) Such a policy protects the organization, and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer or director of the organization. Charities are not required to share their conflict of interest policies with the public. Although we can not evaluate the substance of its policy, we can tell you if the charity has one in place based on the information it reports on its Form 990. If the charity does not have a Conflict of Interest policy, then we deduct 4 points from its Accountability and Transparency score. (Less) | |
Whistleblower ... (More) This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report any financial mismanagement. Here we are reporting on the existence of a policy as reported by the charity on its Form 990. (Less) | |
Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) Such a policy establishes guidelines for handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promotes data integrity. Here we are reporting on the existence of a policy as reported by the charity on its Form 990. If the charity does not have a Records Retention and Destruction Policy, then we deduct 4 points from its Accountability and Transparency score. (Less) | |
CEO Compensation Process ... (More) This process indicates that the organization has a documented policy that it follows year after year. The policy should indicate that an objective and independent review process of the CEO's compensation has been conducted which includes benchmarking against comparable organizations. We check to be sure that the charity has reported on its Form 990 its process for determining its CEO pay. (Less) | |
Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) |
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) Charities are required to list their CEO's name and compensation on the Form 990. Our analysts check to be sure that the charities complied with the Form 990 instructions and included this information in their filing. (Less) | |
Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) Our analysts check to see if the charity lists Board members on its website. Publishing this information enables donors and other stakeholders to ascertain the make up of the charity's governing body. This enables stakeholders to report concerns to the Board. Charity Navigator does not cross-check the Board members listed on the website with that reported on the Form 990, because the latter often isn't available until more than a year after the charity's fiscal year ends. In that time, the charity's Board members may have changed, and the charity typically reflects those more recent changes on the website. (Less) | |
Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) It is important for donors and other stakeholders to know who runs the organization day-to-day. Charity Navigator does not cross-check the leadership listed on the website with that reported on the Form 990 because the latter often isn't available until more than a year after the charity's fiscal year ends. In that time, the charity's leadership may have changed and the charity typically reflects those more recent changes on the website. In other words, since the Form 990 isn't especially timely, it can not be used to verify the leadership information published on the charity's site. (Less) | |
Audited Financial Statements Listed on Website ... (More) We check the charity's website to see if it has published its audited financial statements for the fiscal year represented by the most recently filed IRS Form 990. It is important for donors to have easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well. We currently rate charities on whether or not they publish their audit on their website. (Less) | |
Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) We check the charity's website to see if it has published its most recently filed IRS Form 990 (a direct link to the charity's 990 on an external site is sufficient). It is important for donors to have easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well. (Less) |
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s).
This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Organizations that demonstrate consistent annual growth in program expenses are able to outpace inflation and thus sustain their programs year to year. These organizations also supply givers with greater confidence by maintaining broad public support for their programs. We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Douglas Dolph, Executive Director
$79,346 (5.39% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Community Chest, United Way, etc. (BMF activity code: 600)
Endowment fund or financial services (BMF activity code: 922)
Fundraising (BMF activity code: 927)
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (United Way of St. Clair County) or EIN (381357996) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
United Way of St. Clair County reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
Balance Sheet
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
The pledge collections continued to decrease during the 2021/22 fiscal year. United of St. Clair County PPP loan forgiveness to maintain staffing through the fiscal year ending March 2022. For the current 2022/23 fiscal year, the 2021 annual campaign decreased therefore, reducing the allocations for all 40+ funded programs and United Way staffing.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
United Way offices were closed during the mandated shut down, and reopened in June 2020. During that time, staff worked from home and continued to provide programming, and quickly pivoted to address local needs from COVID-19 through a weekly grant process. Since reopening in June 2020 the services are provided to the general public outdoors with a social-distance approach. For example, the Medical Loan Closet has seen an increase in need and continues to be available for County residents. United Way was able to provide a contactless campaign, however, it wasn't as effective as when volunteers and staff are face-to-face to ask for pledges. Due to the 2020 decreased pledges United Way Campaign, all funded programs received a reduced allocation for the following year with will reduce the total number of individuals that can be served.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
United Way of St. Clair County received unsolicited donations to address emerging needs related to COVID-19. The staff supported a volunteer process to immediately address the needs by implementing an application and review process. To date, the fund continues to be available. United Way of St. Clair County also implemented a contactless medical loan closet, shifted to online meetings, and expanded the online giving options.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
United Way has shifted to offering meetings in a hybrid format for volunteers and participants to meet in person and virtually. Due to the reduced staffing, we are also loosely maintaining the contactless medical loan closet in an effort to save staff time and it has been well received by the community. Our funded programs that had implemented online options are continuing with a hybrid approach and many of the sanitization processes implemented within our organization along with funded programs have been maintained.
Not Currently Scored
United Way of St. Clair County cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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United Way of St. Clair County reported its two largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
Campaign and Allocations
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
Direct Services
United Way of St. Clair County cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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United Way of St. Clair County has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Learn more
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
Mobilize the community of St. Clair County to raise funds and/or resources to meet identified human service needs with the highest level of accountability and community involvement.
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
United Way of St. Clair County will be a leader to help the community identify and address human care problems. It will accomplish this by: -Identifying critical and emerging human service needs through qualified assessments. -Generating financial resources in a manner which is responsive to both donor and community needs. -Managing and allocating resources for maximum efficiency and accountability. -Responding appropriately to existing needs with an emphasis on preventative measures whenever possible. -Promoting volunteerism and leadership development to support the human services network.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Increase United Way influenced community resources for Community Investment Plan.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Two: Broaden community support of United Way by increasing annual revenue
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Three: Improve the efficiency of United Way operations and governance by lowering fundraising fees and admin costs
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
The United Way of St. Clair County Staff and Volunteers have received Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) orientation and training. Volunteers, affiliated organizations, and staff received outcomes/logic model training. The United Way staff has also transitioned and been trained on two new data tracking software implemented in an effort to save money.
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
United Way of St. Clair County volunteers and staff are engaged with community organization collaborative committees, social service clubs, government departments, and a variety of other sectors throughout the community.
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
United Way of St. Clair County's most difficult challenge this year has been the reduction of individual campaign support through employee-giving campaigns. With the support of our board members and leadership from the staff, we have been able to recruit additional volunteers and implement new ideas to enhance the current campaign. Together we are optimistic this will improve the financial community support and ultimately help our funded programs to provide their services to more residents. In addition, throughout the past year, United Way has endured staffing shortages during a time of increased need. As a volunteer-driven organization, and having strong relationships throughout our local community, individuals donated their talents and time to balance programmatic and administrative needs. Processes have been enhanced to maintain and assure accountability with less staff coupled with the support of volunteers and outside auditors. Together, with the established leadership United Way of St. Clair County has remained a pillar of resources for local residents. Lastly, United Way of St. Clair Clair County pivots and adjusts along with the needs visibly externally and internally. United Way is the lead community organization to provide accountable programs and resources to impact individuals. Our community is forever changing, but United Way's stability and worth do not change for the residents.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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