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ADVOCATES FOR BASIC LEGAL EQUALITY INC

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Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

ADVOCATES FOR BASIC LEGAL EQUALITY INC

EIN 23-7376131 · Legal Services (I80)

What they do

ADVOCATES for BASIC LEGAL EQUALITY, INC. (ABLE) is A NON-PROFIT LAW FIRM THAT PROVIDES HIGH QUALITY LEGAL ASSISTANCE IN CIVIL MATTERS to HELP ELIGIBLE LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS and GROUPS IN WESTERN OHIO ACHIEVE SELF-RELIANCE, and EQUAL JUSTICE and ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check
Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $85.80 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders34 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

70.58%of revenue went to mission work85.8% of expenses · Program services
2.27%of revenue went to fundraising2.8% of expenses
$82.25spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.
9.40%of revenue went to management and office costs11.4% of expenses
$1.48in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.
95.5%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

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  1. Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
  2. What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
  3. Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $174,464 for HEATHER L HALL (DEPUTY DIRECTOR). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$14,264,636
Mission workProgram services$10,067,72970.58% of revenue85.8% of expenses
ManagementOffice and general costs$1,340,7819.40% of revenue11.4% of expenses
FundraisingAsking for donations$324,3572.27% of revenue2.8% of expenses
Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$2,531,76917.75% of revenueShown in gray on the chart
Total expenses$11,732,86782.25% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails
2024CurrentExpense mix: 85.8% mission · 11.4% management · 2.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 82.25% of revenue
2023Expense mix: 88.4% mission · 9.4% management · 2.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 80.94% of revenue
2022Expense mix: 88.4% mission · 9.4% management · 2.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 76.08% of revenue
2021Expense mix: 82.9% mission · 13.3% management · 3.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 81.15% of revenue
2020Expense mix: 84.9% mission · 10.3% management · 4.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 93.79% of revenue
2019Expense mix: 86.9% mission · 9.2% management · 3.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.97% of revenue
2018Expense mix: 86.5% mission · 9.2% management · 4.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.46% of revenue
2017Expense mix: 84.5% mission · 11.0% management · 4.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.04% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$14,264,636
Expenses$11,732,867
Annual surplus $2,531,769 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$10,067,729 · 85.8% of expenses
Management and office costs$1,340,781 · 11.4% of expenses
Fundraising$324,357 · 2.8% of expenses
See all reported dollar amounts
Revenue$14,264,636
Expenses$11,732,867
Assets$17,391,584
Income$15,029,292
Contributions$13,622,740
Mission work (program services)$10,067,729
Fundraising$324,357
Grants given$8,607,577
Average grant$1,229,654
Management and general$1,340,781
Executive compensation (total)$387,671
Stocks and bonds$130,859
Accounting fees$48,082
Investing fees$1,113
People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation
HEATHER L HALLDEPUTY DIRECTOR · 48 hrs/week $174,464Base $147,336 · Other $27,128
NIKOLETA I COOKDIRECTOR OF FINANCE · 40 hrs/week $151,555Base $127,549 · Other $24,006
MAKIEDAH MESSAMEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (FROM 3/24) · 42 hrs/week $148,274Base $134,613 · Other $13,661
KATHLEEN C KERSHMANAGING ATTORNEY · 42 hrs/week $142,441Base $108,268 · Other $34,173
JESUS SALASMANAGING ATTORNEY (THRU 12/24) · 38 hrs/week $140,276Base $132,999 · Other $7,277
REBECCA STEINHAUSERMANAGING ATTORNEY · 44 hrs/week $131,492Base $115,717 · Other $15,775
MARK HELLERSENIOR ATTORNEY · 41 hrs/week $126,985Base $120,397 · Other $6,588
MATTHEW N CURRIEMANAGING ATTORNEY · 36 hrs/week $125,896Base $119,364 · Other $6,532
JANET HALESFORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 2 hrs/week $97,000

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (34)

HEATHER L HALLDEPUTY DIRECTOR

NIKOLETA I COOKDIRECTOR OF FINANCE

MAKIEDAH MESSAMEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (FROM 3/24)

KATHLEEN C KERSHMANAGING ATTORNEY

JESUS SALASMANAGING ATTORNEY (THRU 12/24)

REBECCA STEINHAUSERMANAGING ATTORNEY

MARK HELLERSENIOR ATTORNEY

MATTHEW N CURRIEMANAGING ATTORNEY

JANET HALESFORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MECHELLE ZAROUTRUSTEE

JORDAN JENNINGSTRUSTEE

NATHAN D TURNERSECRETARY

ROBERT TUCKERVICE PRESIDENT

SAUNDRA HOLMESTRUSTEE

LINDSEY POSEYTRUSTEE

THOMAS J LUCENTE JRTRUSTEE

KHADIJAH H ALIVICE PRESIDENT

KATHRYN A WATSONTRUSTEE

TWILA R FERGUSONTRUSTEE

KARI L WHITETRUSTEE

ALEX LAVELLETRUSTEE

JOHN F HALLTRUSTEE

JAMES STAHLERTRUSTEE

HEATHER L ALLREDTRUSTEE

EVE MITROTRUSTEE

ETHEL WASHINGTON-HARRISTRUSTEE

CLAYTON CRATESTRUSTEE

CATHERINE BITWAYIKITRUSTEE

CASSANDRA ANDRESPRESIDENT

CARASUSANA CARA WALLTRUSTEE

BRANDON E DOBYNSTREASURER

ANNA DELPTRUSTEE

ANDREA DE LA ROCATRUSTEE

AMANDA DAVISTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since
January 1974
Location
525 JEFFRSON AVE STE 300, TOLEDO, OH 43604-1094
County
Lucas
In care of
MAKIEDAH MESSAM
Primary officer
MAKIEDAH MESSAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailemelendez@ablelaw.org Phone(419) 930-2511

Filing and classification

Latest tax year
2024
Tax period began
January 1, 2024
Return type
990
Tax preparer
CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP
NTEE classification
Legal Services (I80)
IRS tax category
Legal Services
Grant-giving organization
Yes

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About this report: Information comes from public nonprofit records and may show the latest filing available.

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