CHILDRENS LEGAL SERVICES OF SAN DIEGO Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

CHILDRENS LEGAL SERVICES OF SAN DIEGO

EIN 81-3389364 · Philanthropy, Charity & Voluntarism Promotion (T50)

What they do

The Purpose of Providing Legal Representation and Advocacy to Foster Children and Youth In The San Diego County Courts.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $94.00 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 leaders15 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

92.41%of revenue went to mission work94.0% of expenses · Program services

$98.34spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

5.93%of revenue went to management and office costs6.0% of expenses

$0.82in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

98.9%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 $203,243 for BETH PLOESCH (EXECUTIVE DIR.). 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.

$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$4,856,604

Mission workProgram services$4,488,14692.41% of revenue94.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$288,0485.93% of revenue6.0% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations0.00% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$80,4101.66% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$4,776,19498.34% 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: 94.0% mission · 6.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.34% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 93.4% mission · 6.6% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.39% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 92.7% mission · 7.3% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.28% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 91.9% mission · 8.1% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.92% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 93.6% mission · 6.4% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 83.80% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 93.1% mission · 6.9% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.25% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 88.5% mission · 11.5% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.99% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 88.7% mission · 11.2% management · 0.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 80.36% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$4,856,604

Expenses$4,776,194

Annual surplus $80,410 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)$4,488,146 · 94.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$288,048 · 6.0% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$4,856,604

Expenses$4,776,194

Assets$3,905,589

Income$4,856,604

Contributions$4,804,744

Mission work (program services)$4,488,146

Management and general$288,048

Executive compensation (total)$312,558

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

BETH PLOESCHEXECUTIVE DIR. · 40 hrs/week $203,243Base $196,150 · Other $7,093

SUSAN MCPHEEMANAGING ATTNY · 40 hrs/week $159,576Base $146,445 · Other $13,131

JOELLE LACKEYDIR OF OPS · 40 hrs/week $156,973Base $146,098 · Other $10,875

NICOLE MCCONNMANAGING ATTNY · 40 hrs/week $154,224Base $143,652 · Other $10,572

MARIANNE BARONGANSTAFF ATTORNEY · 40 hrs/week $146,049Base $133,906 · Other $12,143

KAREN PROSEKDIR OF LEGAL SVCS · 40 hrs/week $146,036Base $133,681 · Other $12,355

STEVE WEDELMANAGING ATTNY · 40 hrs/week $144,936Base $132,833 · Other $12,103

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 (15)

BETH PLOESCHEXECUTIVE DIR.

SUSAN MCPHEEMANAGING ATTNY

JOELLE LACKEYDIR OF OPS

NICOLE MCCONNMANAGING ATTNY

MARIANNE BARONGANSTAFF ATTORNEY

KAREN PROSEKDIR OF LEGAL SVCS

STEVE WEDELMANAGING ATTNY

BHASHINI WEERASINGHEDIRECTOR

JOHN EDSONDIRECTOR

MATTHEW STOREYDIRECTOR

MICHELLE MACRON-BENJAMINDIRECTOR

MORGAN SHAWPRESIDENT

REBECCA LEVINE ESQDIRECTOR

RYAN COHEN ESQDIRECTOR

SARA LUCCHINIDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2017
Location: 4801 VIEWRIDGE AVE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92123-1643
County: San Diego
In care of: BETH PLOESCH
Primary officer: BETH PLOESCH, Executive Director

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@CLSsandiego.org Phone(858) 221-0404

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: October 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: LEAF & COLE LLP
NTEE classification: Philanthropy, Charity & Voluntarism Promotion (T50)
IRS tax category: Philanthropy, Charity & Voluntarism Promotion