LEGAL AID OF WESTERN MICHIGAN Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

LEGAL AID OF WESTERN MICHIGAN

EIN 38-2156874 · Legal Services (I80)

What they do

to Secure Justice and Protect Rights of Low-income Individuals Unable to Obtain and Pay for Legal Services In Civil Matters By The Provision of Legal Representation and Counsel.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $84.80 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 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.

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

They name their leaders24 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

83.27%of revenue went to mission work84.8% of expenses · Program services

0.05%of revenue went to fundraising0.0% of expenses

$98.24spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

14.92%of revenue went to management and office costs15.2% of expenses

$0.86in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

97.3%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
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 $177,820 for PAMELA HOEKWATER (EXECUTIVE 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 2025

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.

$100revenue

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$7,252,997

Mission workProgram services$6,039,25483.27% of revenue84.8% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,082,40914.92% of revenue15.2% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$3,4810.05% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$127,8531.76% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$7,125,14498.24% 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

2025CurrentExpense mix: 84.8% mission · 15.2% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.24% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 83.2% mission · 16.7% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.75% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 89.7% mission · 10.2% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.84% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 86.9% mission · 13.0% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.84% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 86.4% mission · 13.5% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 87.39% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 86.5% mission · 13.1% management · 0.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.33% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 84.8% mission · 14.5% management · 0.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.35% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 83.9% mission · 15.5% management · 0.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.92% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$7,252,997

Expenses$7,125,144

Annual surplus $127,853 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)$6,039,254 · 84.8% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,082,409 · 15.2% of expenses

Fundraising$3,481 · 0.0% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$7,252,997

Expenses$7,125,144

Assets$6,108,433

Income$7,252,997

Contributions$7,053,980

Mission work (program services)$6,039,254

Fundraising$3,481

Management and general$1,082,409

Executive compensation (total)$185,717

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

PAMELA HOEKWATEREXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 35 hrs/week $177,820Base $146,687 · Other $31,133

KAREN DIESINGDIRECTOR OF LITIGATION · 35 hrs/week $140,115Base $112,127 · Other $27,988

JOHN SMITHMANAGING ATTORNEY · 35 hrs/week $138,639Base $112,290 · Other $26,349

DONALD ROBERTSMANAGING ATTORNEY · 35 hrs/week $127,951Base $101,512 · Other $26,439

JASON OBRIENDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS · 35 hrs/week $126,568Base $100,071 · Other $26,497

DEBORAH NICHOLSFINANCE MANAGER · 35 hrs/week $19,817Base $16,170 · Other $3,647

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 (24)

PAMELA HOEKWATEREXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

KAREN DIESINGDIRECTOR OF LITIGATION

JOHN SMITHMANAGING ATTORNEY

DONALD ROBERTSMANAGING ATTORNEY

JASON OBRIENDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

DEBORAH NICHOLSFINANCE MANAGER

JAMES BRUNNERATTORNEY MEMBER

TRACEY W BRAMEATTORNEY MEMBER

RICH CHERRYATTORNEY MEMBER

MIKE CAMPBELLBOARD VICE PRESIDENT

MIKE CALLAHANATTORNEY MEMBER

MARY ALICE ADAMSCOMMUNITY MEMBER

KONJOH KONJOHCOMMUNITY MEMBER

JIM BOERIGTERATTORNEY MEMBER

ALVIN BACON JRCOMMUNITY MEMBER

JACQUE SCHAFERAT LARGE MEMBER

HON SUSAN DOBRICHATTORNEY MEMBER

HANNAH EARLBOARD TREASURER

DAMIEN SANCHEZATTORNEY MEMBER

CINDY VANDERKODDEBOARD SECRETARY

CHRIS MEYERBOARD PRESIDENT

CARESSA BRYANTCOMMUNITY MEMBER

ANGELIQUE CAMFIELDATTORNEY MEMBER

ANGELA ZUNIGACOMMUNITY MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1977
Location: 25 DIVISION AVE S STE 300, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503-4229
County: Kent
In care of: Pamela Hoekwater
Primary officer: Pamela Hoekwater, Executive Director

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(616) 774-0672 Officer phone(516) 774-0672

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: YEO & YEO PC
NTEE classification: Legal Services (I80)
IRS tax category: Legal Services