Well Spouse Association

When one is sick, two need help

Freehold, NJ | http://www.wellspouse.org

GuideStar Charity Check

EIN: 36-3651073

Contributions tax deductible
as of May 2023

IRS BMF 509(a)(1)
as of May 08, 2023

View summary

Charity Check report

Mission

Well Spouse Association, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization, provides peer support and advocates for people caring for a chronically ill and/or disabled spouse or partner. We offer peer support and educate health care professionals and the general public about the special challenges and unique issues "well" spouses face every day.

Ruling year info

1993

President and Board Member

Laurel Wittman

Main address

63 W Main St Suite H

Freehold, NJ 07728 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Well Spouse Foundation

WSF

EIN

36-3651073

Subject area info

Medical support services

Mental health counseling

Support groups

Human services

Family disability resources

Population served info

People with disabilities

People with diseases and illnesses

NTEE code info

Nonmonetary Support N.E.C. (P19)

Counseling Support Groups (F60)

Health Support Services (E60)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Tax forms

Show Forms 990

Communication

Programs and results

Reports and documents

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Chronic illness changes relationships. Almost 6 million people in the US care for an ill or disabled partner. When spouses or partners transition to caregiver and patient roles, they often face the loss of that singular intimate relationship and the companionship it brings. Spousal caregivers spend more hours caregiving each week, doing more intense tasks, and with less outside assistance, than other types of caregivers. The financial impacts of caregiving are different for well spouses from other types of caregivers too - often the partner with illness and the caregiver must give up paid employment. Caregiving for your wife, husband, or partner impacts the decision to have children, the way children are raised, and where and how one lives, works, and retires. There are few areas of life that are left untouched by chronic illness and caregiving in partnered relationships.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

WSA Programs and Services

WSA coordinates a network of peer support groups throughout the US and Canada attended by members who are all spousal caregivers or well spouses.
WSA publishes "Mainstay", a quarterly newsletter circulated to 1,600 people. Mainstay is written by and for our members and is dedicated to the issues faced by well spouses.
We produce and host webinars and symposia on topics of interest to well spouses.
WSA produces an annual National Conference and several regional respite weekends each year.
WSA maintains an active social media presence for 24x7 support and for people who cannot attend our events. This includes our website, which hosts a online forum for members, an active Facebook group, a Reddit subreddit, and a Twitter feed.
WSA also provides continuing support for members whose spouses have died.

Population(s) Served

Adults

Caregivers

Widows and widowers

People with diseases and illnesses

People with disabilities

Where we work

Awards

Rosalynn Carter Caregiving Award/Nat’l Quality Caregiving Coalition 1994

Rosalynn Carter Caregiving Institute

Caregiver Award 2000

Health Insurance Plan (HIP) of NY

External reviews

Photos

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

What is the organization aiming to accomplish?

Well Spouse Association provides support and resources to people of all ages who care for partners with chronic illness or disability. We provide support whether you identify as a caregiver or not. The diagnosis doesn't matter to us, and you don't even need to know the diagnosis at all. What matters is that you feel you need support from a community of people who understand. We are an inclusive and welcoming community - no matter your age, partnership arrangement, sexuality, orientation, gender, or religious beliefs.

What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?

What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?

What have they accomplished so far and what's next?

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

We shared information about our current feedback practices.

Who are the people you serve with your mission?

The spouses and partners of people living with chronic illness and/or disability.
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
What significant change resulted from feedback?

Prior to the pandemic, most of our events were held in person, and people loved to meet other members. Peer support is our model, after all. We shifted to a Zoom model for our events during the pandemic which has been well-received, with one exception - surveys showed that people wanted our larger events on Zoom to have more member interaction. We have been able to use smaller Zoom meetings for some events to encourage members to build connections between each other directly.
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Well Spouse Association

Fiscal year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

NET GAIN/LOSS: in

Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Financial data

Source: IRS Form 990

Digitizing IRS form 990 data

Well Spouse Association

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Fiscal year ending: Download Data

Revenue
Contributions	$33,918
Program Services	$26,275
Investments	$32
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$11,371
Total Revenue	$71,596

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$22,681
Professional Fees	$60
Occupancy	$5,100
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$5,791
Other Expenses	$58,203
Total Expenses	$91,835
Net Gain/Loss	($20,239)

Revenue
Contributions	$25,863
Program Services	$14,186
Investments	$0
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$15,165
Total Revenue	$55,214

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$19,064
Professional Fees	$471
Occupancy	$5,125
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$6,460
Other Expenses	$19,114
Total Expenses	$50,234
Net Gain/Loss	$4,980

Revenue
Contributions	$30,308
Program Services	$7,590
Investments	$0
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$9,072
Total Revenue	$46,970

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$15,478
Professional Fees	$0
Occupancy	$5,100
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$5,646
Other Expenses	$16,799
Total Expenses	$43,023
Net Gain/Loss	$3,947

Revenue
Contributions	$32,757
Program Services	$1,573
Investments	$0
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$10,714
Total Revenue	$45,044

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$16,289
Professional Fees	$0
Occupancy	$4,675
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$4,445
Other Expenses	$18,092
Total Expenses	$43,501
Net Gain/Loss	$1,543

Revenue
Contributions	$32,533
Program Services	$9,639
Investments	$49
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$10,207
Total Revenue	$52,428

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$0
Professional Fees	$0
Occupancy	$8,963
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$5,449
Other Expenses	$30,342
Total Expenses	$44,754
Net Gain/Loss	$7,674

Revenue
Contributions	$32,668
Program Services	$7,718
Investments	$49
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$8,001
Total Revenue	$48,436

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$19,559
Professional Fees	$28
Occupancy	$8,347
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$2,361
Other Expenses	$16,817
Total Expenses	$47,112
Net Gain/Loss	$1,324

Revenue
Contributions	$32,707
Program Services	$6,055
Investments	$275
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$7,178
Total Revenue	$46,215

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$17,233
Professional Fees	$0
Occupancy	$4,675
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$3,823
Other Expenses	$20,578
Total Expenses	$46,309
Net Gain/Loss	($94)

Revenue
Contributions	$29,525
Program Services	$3,590
Investments	$611
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$7,696
Total Revenue	$41,422

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$19,875
Professional Fees	$0
Occupancy	$5,100
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$2,390
Other Expenses	$14,909
Total Expenses	$42,274
Net Gain/Loss	($852)

Revenue
Contributions	$40,807
Program Services	$2,055
Investments	$232
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$16,755
Total Revenue	$59,849

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$24,101
Professional Fees	$0
Occupancy	$5,525
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$2,291
Other Expenses	$14,987
Total Expenses	$46,904
Net Gain/Loss	$12,945

Revenue
Contributions	$142,416
Program Services	$7,220
Investments	$1,731
Special Events	$0
Sales	$0
Other	$11,992
Total Revenue	$163,359

Expenses
Grants	$0
Salaries & Employee Benefits	$29,313
Professional Fees	$100
Occupancy	$5,797
Printing, Publications, Postage, etc.	$2,246
Other Expenses	$26,839
Total Expenses	$64,295
Net Gain/Loss	$99,064

Well Spouse Association

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Fiscal year ending: Download Data

Assets	Jan 01, 2013	Dec 31, 2013	Change
Contributions	$33,918
Cash & Equivalents	$96,989	$76,737	($20,252)
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$1,200	$1,200	$0
Total Assets	$98,189	$77,937	($20,252)

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2013	Dec 31, 2013	Change
Total Liabilities	$0	$0	$0

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2013	Dec 31, 2013	Change
Net Assets	$98,189	$77,937	($20,252)

Assets	Jan 01, 2014	Dec 31, 2014	Change
Contributions	$25,863
Cash & Equivalents	$76,737	$81,737	$5,000
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$1,200	$600	($600)
Total Assets	$77,937	$82,337	$4,400

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2014	Dec 31, 2014	Change
Total Liabilities	$0	$0	$0

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2014	Dec 31, 2014	Change
Net Assets	$77,937	$82,337	$4,400

Assets	Jan 01, 2015	Dec 31, 2015	Change
Contributions	$30,308
Cash & Equivalents	$81,737	$84,774	$3,037
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$600	$1,500	$900
Total Assets	$82,337	$86,274	$3,937

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2015	Dec 31, 2015	Change
Total Liabilities	$0	$0	$0

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2015	Dec 31, 2015	Change
Net Assets	$82,337	$86,274	$3,937

Assets	Jan 01, 2016	Dec 31, 2016	Change
Contributions	$32,757
Cash & Equivalents	$84,774	$89,714	$4,940
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$1,500	$2,096	$596
Total Assets	$86,274	$91,810	$5,536

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2016	Dec 31, 2016	Change
Total Liabilities	$0	$0	$0

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2016	Dec 31, 2016	Change
Net Assets	$86,274	$91,810	$5,536

Assets	Jan 01, 2017	Dec 31, 2017	Change
Contributions	$32,533
Cash & Equivalents	$89,714	$97,849	$8,135
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$2,096	$1,646	($450)
Total Assets	$91,810	$99,495	$7,685

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2017	Dec 31, 2017	Change
Total Liabilities	$0	$0	$0

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2017	Dec 31, 2017	Change
Net Assets	$91,810	$99,495	$7,685

Assets	Jan 01, 2018	Dec 31, 2018	Change
Contributions	$32,668
Cash & Equivalents	$97,849	$95,365	($2,484)
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$1,646	$1,446	($200)
Total Assets	$99,495	$96,811	($2,684)

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2018	Dec 31, 2018	Change
Total Liabilities	$0	$678	$678

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2018	Dec 31, 2018	Change
Net Assets	$99,495	$96,133	($3,362)

Assets	Jan 01, 2019	Dec 31, 2019	Change
Contributions	$32,707
Cash & Equivalents	$95,365	$95,248	($117)
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$1,446	$1,446	$0
Total Assets	$96,811	$96,694	($117)

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2019	Dec 31, 2019	Change
Total Liabilities	$678	$655	($23)

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2019	Dec 31, 2019	Change
Net Assets	$96,133	$96,039	($94)

Assets	Jan 01, 2020	Dec 31, 2020	Change
Contributions	$29,525
Cash & Equivalents	$95,248	$94,788	($460)
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$1,446	$1,446	$0
Total Assets	$96,694	$96,234	($460)

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2020	Dec 31, 2020	Change
Total Liabilities	$655	$980	$325

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2020	Dec 31, 2020	Change
Net Assets	$96,039	$95,254	($785)

Assets	Jan 01, 2021	Dec 31, 2021	Change
Contributions	$40,807
Cash & Equivalents	$94,788	$109,716	$14,928
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$1,446	$850	($596)
Total Assets	$96,234	$110,566	$14,332

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2021	Dec 31, 2021	Change
Total Liabilities	$980	$0	($980)

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2021	Dec 31, 2021	Change
Net Assets	$95,254	$110,566	$15,312

Assets	Jan 01, 2022	Dec 31, 2022	Change
Contributions	$142,416
Cash & Equivalents	$109,716	$208,869	$99,153
Fixed Assets (LBE - Depreciation)	$0	$0	$0
Other	$850	$850	$0
Total Assets	$110,566	$209,719	$99,153

Liabilities	Jan 01, 2022	Dec 31, 2022	Change
Total Liabilities	$0	$0	$0

Fund balance	Jan 01, 2022	Dec 31, 2022	Change
Net Assets	$110,566	$209,719	$99,153

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

Documents

Letter of Determination

Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

President and Board Member

Laurel Wittman

LinkedIn profile

Laurel joined WSA as a member in 2014 and joined the Board in 2020 to focus on outreach for younger well spouses. She was elected President in 2021. She and her husband Eduardo have been married for 16 years. Eddie was diagnosed with MS in 1998 at the age of 24, and his disease course has been aggressive. Laurel has been a venture lender with Oxford Finance LLC since 2004, providing loan facilities to biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies in the US, Canada, and Europe. Prior nonprofit Board experience includes serving as Treasurer for CLAW USA, a non-profit alliance of theatrical lady arm wrestlers focused on social justice, for two years. She has a BS in Commerce with a concentration in Finance from the University of Virginia and was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the academic honor society for business students.

Well Spouse Association

Officers, directors, trustees, and key employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation

Other

Show data for fiscal year

Compensation data

Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.

Well Spouse Association

Board of directors
as of 03/19/2023

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Board of directors data

Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization

Board chair

Bob Mastrogiovanni

No affilation

Term: 2021 - 2023

Terri Corcoran

No Affiliation

Donna Amato

No Affiliation

Gerald Bishop

No Affiliation

Lawrence Bocchiere III

No Affiliation

Robert Mastrogiovanni

No Affiliation

Al Kozin

Barry Appelbaum

Jane Lupo

Laurel Wittman

Rona Auster

Sheldon Friedman

Carol Christofero-Snider

John Camp

Tatiana Durbak

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/27/2022

Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity

White/Caucasian/European

Gender identity

Female, Not transgender (cisgender)

Sexual orientation

Heterosexual or straight

Disability status

Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

No data

Well Spouse Association

When one is sick, two need help

Mission

Is this your nonprofit?

Programs and results

Reports and documents

What we aim to solve

Our programs

WSA Programs and Services

Where we work

Awards

Our Sustainable Development Goals

Goals & Strategy

Charting impact

What is the organization aiming to accomplish?

What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?

What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?

What have they accomplished so far and what's next?

How we listen

Financials

Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown

Financial data

Digitizing IRS form 990 data

Well Spouse Association

Well Spouse Association

Operations

Documents

President and Board Member

Laurel Wittman

Well Spouse Association

Compensation data

Well Spouse Association

Board of directors data

Bob Mastrogiovanni

Board leadership practices

Board orientation and education

CEO oversight

Ethics and transparency

Board composition

Board performance

Organizational demographics

Leadership

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Sexual orientation

Disability