Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jul 2000.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
95 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
7 people listed on the 990; $681K paid to officers and key staff.
Vanessa Schnaidt’s $146K as Vice President is at the 95th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1265 $100K–1M philanthropy & grantmaking nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 5 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R Christine Hershey | $75,538 | $134,095 | $263,476 | $454,237 | $350,000 |
| Kristen Caloca | $107,088 | $184,008 | $174,417 | — | — |
| Vanessa Schnaidt | $145,924 | $144,418 | $138,397 | $114,122 | $130,894 |
| Carrie Spencer | — | — | $104,501 | — | — |
| Jessica Truex | — | $102,802 | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Advance communications to create meaningful social change for the public good.
Questions for Cause Communications
Your first name shows with your question. Cause Communications answers here, for everyone.
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Cause Communications ("Cause") offers a full range of communications services to help changemakers leverage the power of communications and build the capacity of nonprofits. From free, original tools and resources to hands-on training programs to collaborative impact initiatives and strategy-level counsel, Cause assists organizations…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2022 990, line by line.
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| Line | Start FY22 | End FY22 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $1.5M | $762K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $3K | $9K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $1.7M | $1.5M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $450K | $381K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $1.2M | $1.1M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $20K | $20K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $312K | $285K | $20K | $6K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $959K | $877K | $62K | $20K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $71K | $65K | $5K | $1K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $73K | $67K | $5K | $2K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $16K | $15K | $386 | $123 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $74K | $68K | $5K | $2K |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $415K | $408K | $4K | $3K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $86K | $84K | $1K | $547 |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $88K | $80K | $6K | $2K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $118K | $111K | $5K | $2K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $86K | $79K | $5K | $2K |
| TravelLn 17 | $14K | $13K | $871 | $311 |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $5K | $5K | $343 | $110 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $2K | $2K | $142 | $45 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $35K | $32K | $2K | $726 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $912K | $909K | $2K | $819 |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $94 | $71 | $23 | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $3.3M | $3.1M | $125K | $42K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest | $900K | $1.8M | −$879K | −$501K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $1.2M | $2.0M | −$814K | $378K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 Viewing | $3.2M | $3.3M | −$121K | $1.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $7.8M | $7.7M | $135K | $1.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $7.2M | $7.3M | −$130K | $1.1M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2022 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $3,166,656 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 3 of 4 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,166,656 across 5 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $3,288,001 across 18 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $1,488,678 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,107,857 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2022 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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