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 | — | — | 14.3% | 31 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2022 | — | — | 16.1% | 29 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2021 | — | — | 19.7% | 24 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2020 | — | — | 31.1% | 24 | Critical Intervention Needed | Gov Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 11.4% | 38 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2018 | — | — | 8.2% | 30 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2017 | — | — | 7.5% | 34 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2016 | — | — | 5.7% | 36 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2015 | — | — | 16.4% | 24 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2014 | — | — | 6.4% | 30 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2013 | — | — | 5.6% | 32 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2012 | — | — | 5.2% | 30 | Critical Intervention Needed | Stable Watch | |
| 2011 | — | — | 7.7% | 30 | Critical Intervention Needed | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHERENE BRETSCHNEIDER | Executive Director | 13.7% of Rev | ||
| SHAUNA MARSHALL | Board President | — | ||
| CHRISTY SWARTZ | Treasurer | — | ||
| LISA MELTZ | Secretary | — | ||
| MORMA GARCIA | Board Member | — | ||
| VICTOR SHIN | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHERENE BRETSCHNEIDER | Executive Director | 13.7% of Rev | ||
| SHAUNA MARSHALL | Board President | — | ||
| CHRISTY SWARTZ | Treasurer | — | ||
| LISA MELTZ | Secretary | — | ||
| MORMA GARCIA | Board Member | — | ||
| VICTOR SHIN | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHERENE BRETSCHNEIDER | Executive Dir. | 11.0% of Rev | ||
| ZINA GOODALL | PROGRAM MANAGER | 3.2% of Rev | ||
| SHAUNA MARSHALL | Board President | — | ||
| CHRISTY SWARTZ | Treasurer | — | ||
| LISA MELTZ | Secretary | — | ||
| MORMA GARCIA | Board Member | — | ||
| VICTOR SHIN | Board Member | — |
Score breakdown
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 36 other orgs in CA with NTEE prefix A9.
Most-divergent component: financial score sits 34 points below the peer median (0 vs. 34).
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 38 → 31 over 5 years (declining by 7 points).
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 14.3% sits within the sector's healthy band (18–22%).
- 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:
- 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.