Benchwarmers Media
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 990863544
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2024–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025
- Location
- Wayzata, MN, USA
- Phone
- 7632348871
- Rating
- 94
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Education N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $40,500
- Expenses
- $41,660
- Assets
- $10,870
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
3 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- John R Russett (President)
People named in this filing
- John R Russett (President)
- Martin E McCaslin (Treasurer)
- Thomas R Connell (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
To produce entertainment that supports and strengthens communities and ignites the good in others. We are dedicated to shining a spotlight on those who educate, inspire and uplift their peers - ultimately making our communities stronger.
What it reported doing in 2025
There are two podcast series produced. The first is a series of podcasts with Father Don Talafous, an iconic monk at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN. The topics of discussion revolve around Father Don's journey, and a variety of life's challenges. They are intended to help the listeners reflect on and learn from these challenges. The program is delivered to an audience distribution list of over 5000 people across the globe. To date there have been 73 episodes produced, over 35,000 downloads across 6 continents, 74 countries, and 2434 cities. Finalist for the People's Choice Podcast of the Year Award 2024.The second podcast series involves interviews with former players, coaches and staff members at St. John's that chronicle the 51 year coaching career of Jim Smith. The program has evolved into also including current coaches, players, staff, and parents - engaging a broad audience of Johnnie Basketball supporters. The overall theme may be basketball, but the lessons learned from listening to the podcasts are universal and touch on a variety of themes related to the human condition, character, and the development of solid citizens after the playing days are over. To date there have been 80 episodes produced, over 10,000 downloads across 6 continents, 68 countries, and 821 cities. Finalist for the People's Choice Podcast of the Year Award 2023 and 2024.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
- 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: 100
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 30
- Growth: 40
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -2.9%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.26; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -33.6% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -10.1% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $42K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
- Consistency: 6 of 6 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.