GARDNER LAKE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

GARDNER LAKE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY INC

EIN 90-0175944 · Fire Prevention (M24)

What they do

We At Gardner Lake Volunteer Fire Company Are A Membership Organization, Dedicated to Providing A Professional Courteous Service Because We Believe That This is The Key to Our Business Success. We Will Listen to Our Members and Communicate With Them Honestly and Candidly. We Will Provide The Training and The Tools to Develop Programs to Meet Their Needs.We Will Strive to Service Our Community and Our Mutual Aid Communities In The Proception of Life and Property, During Natural and Man-made Emergencies. We Believe In The Importance of All Individuals. We Place A High Value On Personnel Safety and Integrity, Encouraging Creativity and Self-esteem, While Stressing The Synergy of Teamwork. We Demand The Best Possible Performance From Ourselves, But Never At The Expense of Our Safety, Values, or The Quality of Our Services.We Will Provide Equal Opportunity for Individual Development and Growth.We Will Adhere to The Highest Ethical Standards In The Conduct of Our Business With Our Membership

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $97.00 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 leaders7 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

80.37%of revenue went to mission work97.0% of expenses · Program services

$82.85spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

2.48%of revenue went to management and office costs3.0% of expenses

$2.16in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

24.1%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 $20,450 for CHERYL PHILOPENA (PRESIDENT). 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$506,092

Mission workProgram services$406,75680.37% of revenue97.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$12,5362.48% of revenue3.0% of expenses

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

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$86,80017.15% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$419,29282.85% 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: 97.0% mission · 3.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 82.85% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 96.1% mission · 3.9% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 84.18% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 96.7% mission · 3.3% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.56% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 97.0% mission · 3.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 82.95% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 98.2% mission · 1.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 187.36% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 94.9% mission · 5.1% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.87% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 93.9% mission · 6.1% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 74.40% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 93.5% mission · 6.5% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 70.83% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$506,092

Expenses$419,292

Annual surplus $86,800 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)$406,756 · 97.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$12,536 · 3.0% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$506,092

Expenses$419,292

Assets$907,429

Income$508,786

Contributions$122,033

Mission work (program services)$406,756

Management and general$12,536

Executive compensation (total)$10,000

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

CHERYL PHILOPENAPRESIDENT · 20 hrs/week $20,450

DOUG MILLERDIRECTOR · 6 hrs/week $12,100

KEVIN MILLIGANCHIEF · 20 hrs/week $9,850

MARY WHITESECRETARY · 16 hrs/week $8,020

ERICA WASILEWSKIDIRECTOR · 6 hrs/week $3,320

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 (7)

CHERYL PHILOPENAPRESIDENT

DOUG MILLERDIRECTOR

KEVIN MILLIGANCHIEF

MARY WHITESECRETARY

ERICA WASILEWSKIDIRECTOR

JOHN CUNNINGHAMTREASURER

JOSEPH PLOSZAJDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2005
Location: 429 OLD COLCHESTER RD, SALEM, CT 06420-3748
County: New London
In care of: Cheryl Philopena
Primary officer: Cheryl Philopena, President

How to reach them

Phone(860) 859-1743

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: DOHERTY BEALS & BANKS PC
NTEE classification: Fire Prevention (M24)
IRS tax category: Fire Prevention