Structural Deficit
What does this mean?
Persistently low financial health over 5 years despite strong programmatic output. They are borrowing from their future (or bleeding an endowment) to pay for today's programs.
The Path Forward
The Truth-Teller
Forces necessary, painful cuts to preserve the core. It demands that the organization stop borrowing from its future and align its current programmatic output with actual sustainable revenue.
Title
Representative Institutions
Institutional Epochs
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | — | 24.6% | 31 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2022 | — | — | 26.8% | 26 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2021 | — | — | 38.9% | 22 | Critical Intervention Needed | Gov Risk | |
| 2020 | — | — | 25.0% | 33 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2019 | — | — | 21.1% | 27 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2018 | — | — | 17.4% | 29 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2017 | — | — | 12.3% | 53 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2016 | — | — | 22.3% | 41 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2015 | — | — | 15.9% | 51 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2014 | — | — | 12.2% | 49 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2013 | — | — | 36.0% | 42 | Governance-Stressed | Gov Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | — | 45 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2011 | — | — | 11.2% | 56 | Fragile | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PATRICIA ELLIS | Board Member | — | ||
| BETHANY PERKINS | Board Member | — | ||
| JOANN STEIDINGER | Board Member | — | ||
| SHARIE GARCIA | Board Member | — | ||
| FRANKLYN ESENBERG | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD EMERITU | — | ||
| DENISE WAHLBERG | Secretary | — | ||
| CHARLANE OROURKE-HERTIG | Board President | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOANN STEIDINGER | Board Member | — | ||
| SHARIE GARCIA | Board Member | — | ||
| FRANKLYN ESENBERG | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD EMERITU | — | ||
| DENISE WAHLBERG | Secretary | — | ||
| CHARLANE OROURKE-HERTIG | Board President | — | ||
| PATRICIA ELLIS | Board Member | — | ||
| BETHANY PERKINS | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRANKLYN ESENBERG | Executive Director | — | ||
| DENISE WAHLBERG | Secretary | — | ||
| PATRICIA ELLIS | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLANE OROURKE-HERTIG | INTERIM EXEC OFFICER & DIRECT | — | ||
| BETHANY PERKINS | Board Member | — | ||
| SHARIE GARCIA | Board Member | — |
Score breakdown
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 182 other orgs in WI with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: financial score sits 41 points below the peer median (15 vs. 56).
5-year trend: Structural Deficit
Persistently low financial health over 5 years despite strong programmatic output. They are borrowing from their future (or bleeding an endowment) to pay for today's programs.
Overall score has gone from 27 → 31 over 5 years (improving by 4 points).
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 24.6% is modestly above the sector's healthy band (18–22%) — worth monitoring.
- Two consecutive years of deficit spending.
- Financial resilience score in the bottom quartile — reserves and liabilities ratios warrant review.
What would change this score
The two changes that would most improve this score:
- Separate signing authority from fundraising authority when both are held by one person — removes the concentration penalty (~12 points).
- Build cash reserves to at least 3 months of operating expenses — moves financial resilience score meaningfully (~10 points).
Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.