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 | — | — | — | 42 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2022 | — | — | 8.9% | 40 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch | |
| 2021 | — | — | — | 38 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2020 | — | — | 11.4% | 35 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | 32 | Critical Intervention Needed | Stable Watch | |
| 2018 | — | — | — | 32 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2017 | — | — | — | 35 | Critical Intervention Needed | Stable Watch | |
| 2016 | — | — | — | 35 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2015 | — | — | — | 25 | Critical Intervention Needed | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEROMY SMITH | Board President | 1.7% of Rev | ||
| LYNDY FRANKLIN SMITH | VICE PRESIDE | 1.7% of Rev | ||
| CAROLINE CASSIN | Board Member | — | ||
| YOONIE CHOI-REICH | Board Member | — | ||
| NATHAN FISTER | Board Member | — | ||
| LUANNE FRANKLIN | Board Member | — | ||
| MELODY FRIDAY | Board Member | — | ||
| ANTHONY HOUSTON | Board Member | — | ||
| SHEILA KENNY | Board Member | — | ||
| CAMERON SALLEE | Treasurer | — | ||
| ROBERT THOMAS | Board Member | — | ||
| MEGAN WINFIELD | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LYNDY FRANKLIN SMITH | VICE PRESIDE | 1.6% of Rev | ||
| JEROMY SMITH | Board President | 1.4% of Rev | ||
| KENNY BISHOP | Board Member | — | ||
| CAROLINE CASSIN | Board Member | — | ||
| NATHAN FISTER | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVE HARRIS | Treasurer | — | ||
| MEGAN HILLENMEYER | Board Member | — | ||
| KENNY BISHOP | Board Member | — | ||
| JEFF MURPHY | Board Member | — | ||
| CAROLINE CASSIN | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT THOMAS | Board Member | — | ||
| NATHAN FISTER | Board Member | — | ||
| MEGAN WINFIELD | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVE HARRIS | Treasurer | — | ||
| MEGAN HILLENMEYER | Board Member | — | ||
| JEFF MURPHY | Board Member | — | ||
| JEROMY SMITH | Board President | — | ||
| LYNDY FRANKLIN SMITH | VICE PRESIDE | — | ||
| ROBERT THOMAS | Board Member | — | ||
| MEGAN WINFIELD | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEROMY SMITH | Board President | 0.8% of Rev | ||
| LYNDY FRANKLIN SMITH | VICE PRESIDE | 0.6% of Rev | ||
| KENNY BISHOP | Board Member | — | ||
| CAROL CAVE | Secretary | — | ||
| JEFF MURPHY | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES T PALUMBO | Board Member | — | ||
| JIM RICHARDSON | Treasurer | — | ||
| STACEY RICHARDSON | Board Member | — | ||
| MELANIE SIMPSON | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT THOMAS | Board Member | — | ||
| MEGAN WHITFIELD | Board Member | — |
Score breakdown
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 55 other orgs in KY with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 33 points above the peer median (60 vs. 27).
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 32 → 42 over 5 years (improving by 10 points). A multi-year directional move of this magnitude is a signal worth investigating.
What's driving this score
- All-volunteer org with no paid officers — governance signal is neutral (default 50), not absent.
- Net assets declined for 4 consecutive years of deficit spending; cash runway narrowing.
- 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:
- Build cash reserves to at least 3 months of operating expenses — moves financial resilience score meaningfully (~10 points).
- Stabilize program expenses or grow earned-income revenue to break the consecutive-deficit pattern (~8 points to financial score).
Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.