American Mensa Ltd

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
111986754
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Hurst, TX, USA
Phone
8176070060
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,153,487
Expenses
$5,298,621
Assets
$13,389,688
Liabilities
$15,192,150

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

33 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TREVOR MITCHELL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THRU 7/24)

Highest reported compensation

  • TREVOR MITCHELL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THRU 7/24): $145,128 total reported compensation
  • DAVID PEERY (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE): $131,710 total reported compensation
  • TIMOTHY BROOKS (DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP & TECHNOLOGY): $104,945 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity; to encourage research in the nature, characteristics, and uses of intelligence; and to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members.

What it reported doing in 2024

Membership: membership was 46,145 at the end of the year. Within the organization, more than 130 special interest groups, 122 chapters, and numerous online communities provide educational and social experiences for mensa members. The organization provides support and assistance for public programs such as gifted youth, including a mensa honor society for volunteering, a book parade program, and support for parents and educators. Support is provided to the mensa foundation and to other related organizations to support areas of education, giftedness, and research. Programs such as mind games provide a venue not only for members to participate, but extend past the organization to give the public a mensa seal of approval for board games. The mensa home test provides an avenue for the general public to gauge their intelligence level in a relaxed environment and encourages them to recognize their aptitude. In addition to admissions testing, more than 1,500 mensa events are held throughout the country on an annual basis. Mensa provides opportunities for members of all ages to give back to the organization in volunteer roles. Over 2,000 members are volunteering for mensa at any given time.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 82% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 89% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.8%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 77.4%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.11 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2.8%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.53; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.13; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.2%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 78.8% of revenue deployed · 77.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $145K · 33 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $303K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.