Unbound
Unbound
Kansas City KS | IRS ruling year: 1983 | EIN: 43-1243999
Organization Mission
Unbound's mission is to walk with the poor and marginalized of the world.
Your donation attempt encountered a problem. Please refresh the page to try again.
You're faster than our page! Give the page a little longer to finish loading and try your donation again.
Kansas City KS | IRS ruling year: 1983 | EIN: 43-1243999
Organization Mission
Unbound's mission is to walk with the poor and marginalized of the world.
Great
This charity's score is 100%, 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: 80% Accountability & Finance, 10% 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 | |||
10/1/2019 | |||
12/21/2018 | |||
7/1/2018 | |||
2/1/2017 | |||
6/1/2016 | |||
12/1/2015 | |||
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. | |||
5/1/2015 | |||
12/20/2013 | |||
2/1/2013 | |||
3/1/2012 | |||
9/20/2011 | |||
12/1/2010 | |||
4/1/2010 | |||
4/1/2009 | |||
5/1/2008 | |||
12/1/2006 | |||
1/1/2006 | |||
11/1/2004 | |||
11/1/2003 | |||
10/15/2002 | |||
4/15/2002 |
Score
Most Recent Fiscal Year:
FY 2022
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The IRS requires that the charity lists any compensation paid to the charity's governing body members on the IRS Form 990. Furthermore, all governing body members must be listed whether or not they are compensated. Our analysts verify that the charities complied with the Form 990 instructions and that no board members are compensated simply for being on the board.
Source: Nonprofit's Website
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.
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.
Charities must list their CEO's name and compensation on their tax forms, an issue of concern for many donors. Our analysts check to be sure that the charities complied with the IRS Form 990 instructions and include this information.
This process indicates that the organization has a documented policy that it follows yearly. The policy should indicate that an objective and independent review process of the CEO's compensation has been conducted, including benchmarking against comparable organizations. We check to be sure that the charity has reported on its IRS Form 990 its process for determining its CEO pay.
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
Charity Navigator checks 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. Donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well. We are rating charities on whether or not they publish their audit on their website.
Source: Nonprofit's Website
Donors and other stakeholders need to know who runs the organization day-to-day. While key staff should be reported on the IRS Form 990, the charity's staff may have changed since then. The charity typically reflects the most current members on the website.
Source: Nonprofit's Website
The IRS requires that the charity lists any compensation paid to the charity's governing body members on the IRS Form 990. Furthermore, all governing body members must be listed whether or not they are compensated. Our analysts verify that the charities complied with the Form 990 instructions and that no board members are compensated simply for being on the board.
Source: Nonprofit's Website
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 and if its contents are sufficient to protect the donor's information.
Source: Nonprofit's Website
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
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
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
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
Scott Wasserman, President/ceo (non-voting)
$255,160
Rob Mcelroy, Lead Software Architect
$153,941
Martin Kraus, Treasurer (non-voting)/dir Fin
$150,115
Steve Mcclain, Dir Of Growth And Revenue Dev
$144,356
John Dougherty, Director Of Technology Service
$143,749
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2022
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 (Unbound) or EIN (431243999) in the 'Search Term' field.
Not Currently Scored
Unbound 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.
Score
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
Learn more
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. 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.
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, Other means
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 93 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 11 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 (5/7) | |
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 (6/7) | |
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
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
Unbound's mission is to walk with the poor and marginalized of the world.
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Unbound exists to change the world’s view of the poor, to build an inclusive community dedicated to
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Program evaluation: Continue to expand and implement methods to measure and report accomplishments of families at local and global levels.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Two: Poverty Stoplight: Implement a framework to help families articulate and prioritize their individual goals for participation in the program.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
Goal Three: Agents of Change: Expand new program to empower local Unbound groups to improve their communities.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
After carefully considering our organization’s strategic priorities and needs, the Unbound Governing Board approved an investment in development for our President and CEO. As a result, he was able to participate in the Center for Creative Leadership’s “Leading Strategically Experience.” This course is intended to help leaders improve their strategic leadership skills to achieve goals, drive performance and align short-term action with long-term direction. The program teaches leaders the skills to handle complexity, bridge boundaries and shape organizational culture for success.
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
Unbound engages in thought leadership through participation in public events such as those hosted by Kansas City-based Nonprofit Connect, and through industry groups including Skol World Forum and Cash Learning Partnership. (CaLP creates industry guidance on group cash transfers in a development context vs. aid.) Through our Agents of Change platform, leadership creates a community organizing framework and financial support to allow community members to take action and gain experience in community organizing. Unbound participates in the Child Sponsorship Inter-agency group, a forum for discussing areas of common interest to organizations with international child sponsorship as part of their approach to ending poverty. Leadership ensures the organizational resources are available for marketing and communications activities to raise awareness of our mission and work, and that resources are appropriately aligned with our organization’s strategy and plans to fulfill our mission.
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Unbound adapted its programs to respond to needs created by the pandemic. First, many programs around the world saw families shifting their resources to immediate needs such as food. The flexibility of the local programs and Unbound’s cash transfer method of distributing aid allowed families to use funds for what they needed most. Second, Unbound continued to digitize its program with respect to direct benefits made through electronic transfers to individual bank accounts owned by the beneficiaries themselves, and with respect to communication with families. About 94% of families receive sponsorship assistance through cash transfers, which have been a lifeline during the pandemic as workers in the informal economy saw their jobs shut down or significantly restricted. While in-person interactions between Unbound staff and families were disrupted—including home visits by social workers, community gatherings, mothers group meetings and other activities—local Unbound teams stayed connected with families by communicating with group leaders and other members with access to technology. Local teams focused on COVID prevention strategies and used cell phones, messaging apps, social media, radio broadcasts and other means to pass along important health and safety information and stay connected with families. Third, in 2020, Unbound sent more than $2.4 million in emergency COVID assistance to the field to help families in dire need because of the pandemic. The funds were raised from sponsor donations for disaster response and other critical needs. Finally, as education moved online in the pandemic, scholarship students were encouraged to use funds for education-related technology needs. The program’s required service component was adapted to allow for distance completion. Many scholars focused on COVID-19 prevention initiatives in the community, while some continued with tutoring younger students and other community programming to sponsored members using virtual methods.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
The Giving Basket is having some issues. If you wish to donate, please refresh the page. If the problem persists contact us.
Cart ID: Not Assigned
The Giving Basket is having some issues. If you wish to donate, please refresh the page. If the problem persists contact us.
Cart ID: Not Assigned