Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911630589
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Bellevue, WA, USA
Phone
4254675604
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Symphony Orchestras

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,314,566
Expenses
$1,263,656
Assets
$1,166,469
Liabilities
$209,369

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BENNET WANG (CO-PRESIDENT)
  • JUSTIN PAE (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • NANCY SHEN (CO-PRESIDENT)
  • KEVIN VORTMANN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KEVIN VORTMANN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $148,206 total reported compensation
  • MATTHEW SALVAGGIO (MUSIC DIRECTOR): $85,379 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Bellevue youth symphony orchestra enhances the lives of student musicians by providing dynamic musical experiences, fostering collaboration, confidence, and personal responsibility through the pursuit of artistic excellence.

What it reported doing in 2024

BELLEVUE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S ORCHESTRAL PROGRAMS ARE OPEN TO YOUNG MUSICIANS AGED 6-19, AND INCLUDE 8 ORCHESTRAS, 3 ENSEMBLES, AND 3 SUMMER DAY CAMP SESSIONS. MORE THAN 15 DIFFERENT PERFORMANCES ARE PUT ON EACH YEAR. STUDENTS LEARN PERSISTENCE, TEAMWORK, AND LEADERSHIP IN ADDITION TO ORCHESTRAL SKILLS. STUDENTS WHO CANNOT AFFORD TUITION ARE SUPPORTED THROUGH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. BYSO also offers community outreach music education workshops and lessons at no cost to the recipients throughout their season.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 81% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.5%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 67%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th 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; 76th 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: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.9%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.92; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.5%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.9% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.5% of revenue deployed · 67% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $846K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $148K · 19 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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 15/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 47/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.