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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: August 2024 Expires: August 2026

We Raise Foundation

Standards Not Met
Standards Not Met
6 7 8 9
(800) 762-6748
One Pierce Place, Suite 250E
Itasca, IL, 60143
https://weraise.org
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

We Raise Foundation does not meet the following 4 Standards for Charity Accountability:

Standard 6 (Board Policy on Effectiveness)
Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

WRF does not meet this Standard because:

  • The organization's effectiveness assessment policy does not specify that this assessment will take place at least once every two years.

Standard 7 (Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness)
Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.

WRF does not meet this Standard because:

  • The organization has not performed an effectiveness assessment within the last two years.

Standard 8 (Program Service Expense Ratio)
Spend at least 65% of its total expenses on program activities.

WRF does not meet this Standard because:

  • According to its audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2023, the organization spent $900,920 or 61% of its total expenses on programs.

Standard 9 (Fund Raising Expense Ratio)
Spending should be no more than 35% of related contributions on fund raising. Related contributions include donations, legacies, and other gifts received as a result of fund raising efforts.

WRF does not meet this Standard because:

  • According to its audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2023, the organization's fundraising costs were 46% ($412,486) of related contributions, which totaled $898,781.

We Raise Foundation meets the remaining 16 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to serve others and partner with Christian organizations to support and develop sustainable programs that help people thrive."

Year, State Incorporated:
1904, IL

Also Known As:
Wheat Ridge Ministries

We Raise Foundation (WRF) reports that it partners with Christian nonprofit organizations and community leaders to address poverty, violence, and inequality. The organization's areas of focus include education, workforce development, and criminal justice. In 2023, WRF states that it, along with its partners, served more than 22,000 individuals.

For the year ended June 30, 2023, We Raise Foundation's program expenses were:

Grants and projects: $340,041

Program education: $355,751

Program support: $205,128

Total Program Expenses: $900,920

Chief Executive
Paul C. Miles, President and Chief Executive Officer

Compensation*
$294,227

Chair of the Board
Mark Duesenberg

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Former Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, Ferro Corporation

Board Size
9

Paid Staff Size
6

*2021 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Internet, Radio

WRF incurred joint costs of $45,745 for informational materials and activities that included fundraising materials. Of those costs $40,027 was allocated to fund raising expenses and $5,718 was allocated to program expenses.

Fundraising costs were 46% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $898,781, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on We Raise Foundation's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2023.

Source of Funds
Individual contributions $496,654
Organization contributions $46,273
Planned giving $355,854
Investment income, net $948,237
Total Income $1,847,018

Programs: 61% Fundraising: 28% Administrative: 11%

Total Income $1,847,018
Total expenses: $1,479,424
  Program expenses $900,920
  Fundraising expenses $412,486
  Administrative expenses $166,018
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $367,594
Beginning Net Assets $10,199,611
Other Changes In Net Assets $65,584
Ending Net Assets $10,632,789
Total Liabilities $714,796
Total Assets $11,347,585

Note: As noted in the above financial section, "other changes in net assets" refers to a change in value of funds held in trust by others.

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance