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31 East Clay Avenue
Muskegon MI 49442
Mail donations to:
P.O. Box 207
Muskegon MI 49443
Muskegon MI | IRS ruling year: 1965 | EIN: 38-1426895
Organization Mission
United Way of the Lakeshore advances the common good and creates opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on Education, Income and Health - the building b ... (More)
United Way of the Lakeshore advances the common good and creates opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on Education, Income and Health - the building blocks for a good life. There are basic things we all need for a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job, income that can support a family through retirement, and good health. Our goal is to create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place. Our mission is to mobilize the caring power of our community to improve the lives of people in our lakeshore communities. (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 99%, 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, weighted as follows: 33% Accountability & Finance, 50% Impact & Results, 8% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community. 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.
Charity Navigator's ratings previously did not consider Leadership & Adaptability, Culture & Community, or Impact & Results. The historic rating mainly reflects a version of today’s Accountability and Finance score. More information on our previous rating methodologies can be found on our rating methodology page.
| Date Published | Overall Rating |
| 2/1/2021 |  |
| 2/1/2020 | |
| 4/1/2019 | |
| 12/1/2018 | |
| 4/1/2017 | |
| 6/1/2016 | |
| 7/1/2015 | |
| 12/20/2013 | |
| 2/1/2013 | |
| 8/1/2012 | |
Score
Most Recent Fiscal Year:
FY 2021
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
Learn more
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No CreditMajority Independent Board Members - 100% independent members10 out of 10 points Majority Independent Board Members - 100% independent members10 out of 10 points
Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. We check to see that a majority of board members are identified as independent on their tax form.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Board Size - 30 independent members10 out of 10 points Independent Board Size - 30 independent members10 out of 10 points
Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. For most organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least three independent board members. For large, donor-funded organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least five independent board members
Source: IRS Form 990
Financial Statements - Audit and Oversight Committee20 out of 20 points Financial Statements - Audit and Oversight Committee20 out of 20 points
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
| $2 million or higher and 40% or higher donor support | Expected to complete an audit and have an audit oversight committee |
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Material Diversion of Assets - None20 out of 20 points Material Diversion of Assets - None20 out of 20 points
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 — also can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We review the charity's most recent IRS Form 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditWebsite Listed on Tax Form - Listed5 out of 5 points Website Listed on Tax Form - Listed5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed5 out of 5 points Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This 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, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Listed5 out of 5 points Whistleblower Policy - Listed5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Listed5 out of 5 points Document Retention and Destruction - Listed5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes5 out of 5 points Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes5 out of 5 points
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the IRS Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Tax Form Distributed to Board Before Filing - Listed5 out of 5 points Tax Form Distributed to Board Before Filing - Listed5 out of 5 points
Providing copies of the IRS Form 990 to the governing body prior to 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.
Loans to/from Officers - Missing5 out of 5 points Loans to/from Officers - Missing5 out of 5 points
Making loans to related parties, such as key officers, staff, or Board members, is not standard practice in the sector as it diverts the charity's funds away from its charitable mission and can lead to real and perceived conflict-of-interest problems.
The IRS 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." Some state laws go so far as to prohibit loans to board members and officers.
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 indicates that the organization is not financially secure. Our analysts check to see if any loans have been made.
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditTax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Listed5 out of 5 points Tax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Listed5 out of 5 points
For almost all charities, we check the charity's IRS Form 990 to see if it discloses that the Form 990 is available on the charity's website. As with the audited financial statement, donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditLiabilities to Assets: Ratio - 5.80%25 out of 25 points Liabilities to Assets: Ratio - 5.80%25 out of 25 points
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent IRS Form 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization's solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense: Ratio - 81.17%25 out of 25 points Program Expense: Ratio - 81.17%25 out of 25 points
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three IRS Forms 990). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency: Ratio - $0.1025 out of 25 points Fundraising Efficiency: Ratio - $0.1025 out of 25 points
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
Working Capital: Ratio - 1.26 years25 out of 25 points Working Capital: Ratio - 1.26 years25 out of 25 points
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 IRS Form 990. 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
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 up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. 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
Ms Christine Robere, President
$120,805
John Severson, Past Board Chair
Compensation not entered
Gary Nelund, Chairperson
Compensation not entered
Stacy Mellema, Treasurer
Compensation not entered
Walter Christophersen, Secretary
Compensation not entered
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2021
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
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 the Lakeshore) or EIN (381426895) in the 'Search Term' field.
Score
This beacon estimates the actual impact a charity has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Learn more
Program
Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Activities
The nonprofit provides books and reading support to toddlers and preschoolers.
Program Type
Shared Book Reading
Beneficiaries Served
(No data collected)
Program Geography
Mid-West
Time Period of Data
1/31/21 to 2/1/22
Outcomes: Changes in the lives of those served by a nonprofit. They can be caused by the nonprofit.
Costs: The money spent by a nonprofit and its partners and beneficiaries.
Impact: Outcome caused by a nonprofit relative to its cost.
Cost-effectiveness: A judgment as to whether the cost was a good use of resources to cause the outcome.
Outcome Metric
Years a child is regularly read to by a cargiver or parent
Outcome Data Source
Ratings are based on data the nonprofit itself collects on its work. We use the most recent year with sufficient data. Typically, this data allows us to calculate direct changes in participants' lives, such as increased income.
The nonprofit submitted data on how how many children it supported and the percent who were read to five or more days a week at the end of the program.
Method for Attributing Outcomes
We don't know if the observed changes were caused by the nonprofit's program or something else happening at the same time (e.g., a participant got a raise). To determine causation, we take the outcomes we observe and subtract an estimate of the outcomes that would have happened even without the program (i.e., counterfactual outcomes).
We estimate the amount of years a child was regularly read to as a results of the the nonprofit's work by comparing its reported figures to the amount the child would have been read to without the nonprofit's help (the “counterfactual”). Without the nonprofit, some caregivers would still regularly read to their child. These counterfactual successes must be netted out of the successes we observe. Otherwise, we would be attributing a change (benefits received) to the nonprofit when it would have happened anyway. Few nonprofits estimate the counterfactual themselves, so we construct our own counterfactual estimate based on research and educated assumptions.
Cost Data Source
After estimating the program's outcomes, we need to determine how much it cost to achieve those outcomes. All monetary costs are counted, whether they are borne by a nonprofit service deliverer or by the nonprofit’s public and private partners.
Program cost data reported by the nonprofit. Partner and beneficiary costs reported by the nonprofit or estimated by Charity Navigator.
Cost Calculation
$250,000 program costs + $0 partner costs + $0 beneficiary costs = $250,000 total costs
We calculate impact, defined as the change in outcomes attributable to a program divided by the cost to achieve those outcomes.
Impact Calculation
$250,000 total costs / 3,528 years of shared reading = roughly $70 provides a child a year of shared reading with a parent or caregiver. [2021 USD]
Benchmark for Rating
Impact & Results scores of a shared book programs are based on the return of benefits secured per dollar spent. Programs receive an Impact & Results score of 100 if every dollar spent results in an improvement in shared book reading with a parent or cargiver at a cost well below the benchmark. Programs receive an Impact & Results score of 80 if every dollar spent results in an improvement in shared book reading with a parent or cargiver at a cost in line with the benchmark. Programs receive a 65 if they are found to have no improvement in shared book reading or the cost is well above the benchmark.
Determination
Highly cost-effective
Score
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditConstituent Feedback - No Data AvailableUnscored Constituent Feedback - No Data AvailableUnscored
Constituent Feedback and Listening Practice data are not available for this organization. The methodology leveraged for Constituent Feedback is based on The Core Principles of Constituent Feedback, which describes listening and responding well to feedback. Charity Navigator participates in a consortium with other feedback experts and leading nonprofit infrastructure platforms to drive Constituent Feedback's advancement, promotion, and data collection.
Equity Practices - Data Available91/100 points Equity Practices - Data Available91/100 points
100% of beacon score
This organization's score of 91 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 10 Equity Practices.
This assessment demonstrates the importance of implementing practices that contribute positively to an organization's overall culture, both internally and with respect to community engagement. Furthermore, equity centered frameworks and similar approaches have drawn much attention from donors, experts, and sector leaders who underscore its value to the nonprofit's overall health and capacity for mission success. Currently, the Equity Strategies Checklist assessment consists of practices and policies that promote racial equity in their operations and programs (per the Equity Strategies checklist administered by Candid). As we refine our DEI assessment, Charity Navigator partners with DEI consultants and field experts to broaden and deepen this work.
| Equity Practices (6/7) | |
We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. | |
We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and/or portfolios. | |
We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization/'s programs, portfolios, and the populations served. | |
We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support. | |
We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. | |
We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured | |
We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
| Equity Policies and Procedures (4/7) | |
We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity. | |
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. | |
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization. | |
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board. | |
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. | |
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. | |
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Score
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
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditMission 10/10 points Mission 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
United Way of the Lakeshore advances the common good and creates opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on Education, Income and Health - the building blocks for a good life. There are basic things we all need for a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job, income that can support a family through retirement, and good health. Our goal is to create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place. Our mission is to mobilize the caring power of our community to improve the lives of people in our lakeshore communities.
Vision 10/10 points Vision 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
10,000 more working families meet their basic needs by 2025
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals 20/20 points Goals 20/20 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Build a skilled and educated workforce through school readiness, on track reading and math, on time graduation and career awareness and life success, framing education on a cradle-to-career continuum.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
Goal Two: People have long-term self-sufficiency by removing barriers to employment, access to safe and stable homes, child care, financial literacy and tax credits, transportation and access to benefits.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: Support healthy and safe individuals and families. We focus on prevention and supporting survivors of abuse and neglect, access to physical and mental health care.
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Leadership Development 15/15 points Leadership Development 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
Four of our core agency directors in engagement, resource development, grant management and our president attended United Way Regional Conference to learn and share best practices. United Way Worldwide provides webinars for professional development that the staff have participated in throughout the year. Staff are regularly engaged in local professional development opportunities. Our finance assistant attended trainings in our data management software. This year we also invested in hiring a Chief Development Officer to support and help guide the team to new growth and a Homelessness Coordinator is joining next month to help us end homelessness.
Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Policy Advocacy
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
United Way of the Lakeshore collaborates with over 44 other local nonprofits to extend our mission and meet our community on a grassroots level. We also offer a free space for agencies to gather and convene with large training rooms. There is also a Volunteer Administrators Network hosted by United Way of the Lakeshore that expands to all other volunteer coordinators in our community to provide training, resources, and other volunteer management tools.
Adaptability Story 30/30 points Adaptability Story 30/30 points
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Like many agencies around us, our organization had adapted to the hybrid expectations that now is needed for day to day operations. Community conversations, educational panels, training, and meetings have been all moved to allow hybrid options. This external demand for flexibility and opportunities allowed our organization to reflect on how we can be more accessible for our staff, programs, volunteers, and clientele. By considering how we can use technology to support hybrid options, our team has been able to connect with individuals in a new way. Clients can fill out emergency help forms from the comfort of their homes, professionals that sit on the board, committees, and advisory councils can attend from their offices, isolated seniors can join discussions on our community conversations, and volunteers are able to serve in new ways all across the globe for support.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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