Hi USA

Legal name: American Youth Hostels Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
135639689
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2011
Location
Silver Spring, MD, USA
Phone
301-495-1240
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Temporary Housing

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$32,651,235
Expenses
$35,144,483
Assets
$66,608,111
Liabilities
$43,718,225

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RUSSELL HEDGE (CEO/ASST SECRETARY)

Highest reported compensation

  • RUSSELL HEDGE (CEO/ASST SECRETARY): $494,985 total reported compensation
  • MICHELLE HIRSCHFELD (VP SALES STAKEHOLDER ACTIV): $249,654 total reported compensation
  • AARON CHAFFEE (VP, HOSTEL DEV/ASST TREASU): $245,215 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 make cross-cultural experiences more accessible for all.

What it reported doing in 2024

Nationwide signature programs: ayh delivers national scope programs that provide opportunities for authentic cultural exchange and new experiences that can make an enduring difference in their lives and their worlds. Travel scholarships give 18 to 30 year olds, with qualified financial need, the opportunity to engage in educational travel within the USA and around the world. Say hi for peace engages hostel guests in activities that celebrate the united nations international day of peace, in partnership with hostels around the world and explore how they can contribute to a peaceful society. The great hostel give back program offers groups of six or more people an opportunity to receive a free night's stay at our hostels during the months of january and february for each day their members volunteer in the surrounding community. Iou respect brings young people together from western and middle eastern countries including the united states, germany, france, tunisia, lebanon and egypt annually for a two-week hostel based exchange program that includes facilitated intensive dialogue, experiential learning activities, travel and reflection. These and other signature programs promote cross-cultural exchange, mutual understanding and tolerance.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 92% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.8%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 83.7%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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; 66th 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: -7.6%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.9; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.66; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.7%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.4% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 86.8% of revenue deployed · 83.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $29.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $495K · 27 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.6M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 14 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.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.