Association of Bankruptcy Judicial Assistants
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 621412970
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2012–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025
- Location
- Chicago, IL, USA
- Phone
- 3124356010
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $22,711
- Expenses
- $26,290
- Assets
- $24,009
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Teresa Wheeler (President)
- Jennifer Bruce (President Elect)
- Martha Ledezma (Immediate Past President)
People named in this filing
- Teresa Wheeler (President)
- Jennifer Bruce (President Elect)
- Denise Williams (Secretary)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Association of Bankruptcy Judges Secretaries was chartered in 1989 by 14 secretaries. The organization's history shows that on October 5, 1994, the name had been changed to what is now known as the Association of Bankruptcy Judicial Assistants (ABJA). The purpose of the organization is to promote the general welfare of its members, to encourage the highest standards of conduct among its members and the profession at large, to promote the continuing education of its members, and to foster among its members a feeling of camaraderie and mutual confidence.
What it reported doing in 2025
An integral part of the ABJA has been the development of educational programs for our members and the bankruptcy legal community. Understanding that certification in a particular field can promote and maintain professional standards. In 1999, the Association of Bankruptcy Judicial Assistants' Continuing Legal Education Committee developed a bankruptcy certification program for its membership. The program is known as the Certified Bankruptcy Assistant program (CBA). After completing a course and testing, the participant will thereafter have a Certified Bankruptcy Assistant certification. The CBA program is conducted in conjunction with the ABJA Annual Conference which is held yearly in October. The location of the Conference is open to any city and state across the U.S.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 61% 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. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 88
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Sustainability: 39
- Growth: 40
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 92.9%; rating input score 93
- Program expense ratio: 80.2%; rating input score 80
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -15.8%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.91; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -1.4% per year; rating input score 0; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 92.9% of revenue deployed · 80.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments · $21K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 1 filed schedules
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2012 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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 — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 45/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.