ASAE Research Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521300485
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2026262723
Rating
54
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Research Institutes and Public Policy Analysis

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,190,561
Expenses
$2,553,634
Assets
$28,792,437
Liabilities
$1,923,796

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Michelle Mason FASAE CAE (CEO)
  • Morgan Maravich (VICE PRESIDENT, FOUNDATION RELATIONS)

Highest reported compensation

  • Michelle Mason FASAE CAE (CEO): $1,109,619 total reported compensation
  • Morgan Maravich (VICE PRESIDENT, FOUNDATION RELATIONS): $196,517 total reported compensation
  • Andrea Wieters (DIRECTOR, FUTURE-FOCUSED RESEARCH): $126,235 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The asae research foundation is primarily focused on advancing knowledge in association management and leadership by conducting research in areas that no one association can undertake on its own and helping associations become more innovative. With the help of asae members and friends of the association community, the foundation maintains a rigorous research agenda that supports the knowledge to equip the next generation of association leaders.

What it reported doing in 2024

CEO Conclave - The ASAE Foundation CEO Conclave is a leadership program designed to convene association chief executive officers for peer-to-peer engagement, knowledge sharing, and strategic dialogue on critical issues impacting the association sector. The Conclave provides a confidential forum for CEOs to discuss emerging trends, leadership challenges, and innovative practices, while fostering collaboration and professional development. Through facilitated discussions and curated content, the program supports executive leadership effectiveness and advances the overall capacity and impact of associations.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 90% 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

MIXED - Most voting board members are independent and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 26
  • Transparency & Controls: 63
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 33.5%; rating input score 33
  • Program expense ratio: 20.8%; rating input score 21
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 29.6%; rating input score 30; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

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: 50.8%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.28; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.9%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -7.3% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -7.2% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 33.5% of revenue deployed · 20.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $532K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.1M · 12 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $207K reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 5 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 33/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 21/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 2/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 30/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.