American Society for Surgery of the Hand

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
316051199
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3128801900
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Professional Societies, Associations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$12,705,880
Expenses
$12,504,063
Assets
$42,528,794
Liabilities
$6,024,091

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

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BOBBY CHHABRA (PRESIDENT ELECT)
  • STEVEN L MORAN MD (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)
  • JENNIFER WOLF MD (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)
  • TAMARA D ROZENTAL MD (PRESIDENT)
  • PETER MURRAY MD (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • MELISSA GARCIA (CEO. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESID)

Highest reported compensation

  • PAMELA SCHROEDER (DEPUTY EXEC VICE PRESIDENT): $339,010 total reported compensation
  • WILLIAM CHANDLER (CFO): $329,664 total reported compensation
  • JACOB ADLER (CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER): $293,154 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 advance the science and practice of hand and upper extremity surgery through education, research and advocacy on behalf of patients and practitioners.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education materials: included in here are the journal of hand surgery, self-assessment exam and all publications offered by assh. The self-assessment exam is produced by assh every year and is a self-study program which members use to make sure they are current with their hand surgery knowledge. In 2024 there were 2,110 registrants. The examination is offered as a convenient self-education exercise by the society and is available to the medical profession, especially those health care professionals focusing on the care of the hand and upper extremity. Designed to assist the physician in reviewing basic principles of hand care, the exam also helps to keep the physician abreast of new developments and concepts within the specialty. The examination covers diagnostic and therapeutic problems, both surgical and non-operative, basic science knowledge, and fundamental principles of hand surgery. The interpretation of the illustrative material (clinical photographs and radiographs) is an integral part of the examination. The journal of hand surgery is the flagship publication of the american society for surgery of the hand. The jhs offers original, peer-reviewed articles reflecting clinical and basic science research as well as surgical techniques related to diseases and conditions of the upper extremity. The publication currently has about 5,000 paying subscribers and is given to active members of the assh as part of their membership. The journal is published by elsevier inc., through a long-term contract with the hand society. All editorial tasks are performed by an editor in charge and deputy editors who are all active members of the society. Our contract with elsevier provides for guaranteed royalties which provide a main source of the society's revenue. Publications offered by assh include the assh textbook which is comprised of 81 chapters that comprehensively cover the full curriculum of hand and upper extremity surgery, featuring over 2000 images and nearly 140 technique videos. Dozens of informational brochures, traditional print books and e-books are also available covering a wide range of topics related to hand and upper extremity surgery.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 71% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 76% for direct work, and 24% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.3%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 69.4%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.9%; rating input score 99; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 84.6%; rating input score 85; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.6%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.4; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.5%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.3% of revenue deployed · 69.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 9 filed program accomplishments · $8.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $339K · 26 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3.9M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 37 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 16 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 8 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 41/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.