Berlin Free Library Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
066053640
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
Berlin, CT, USA
Phone
8608283344
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Libraries

Reported finances

Revenue
$26,698
Expenses
$50,848
Assets
$793,797
Liabilities
$971

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CAROL WELZ (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARCIALYNN M TROTTA (HEAD LIBRARIAN): $15,068 total reported compensation
  • MARTHA NEAULT (CHILD LIBRARIAN): $5,712 total reported compensation
  • JEAN MUNSON (Secretary/Dir.): $2,626 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Public free library

What it reported doing in 2023

The library serves the general public in the town of berlin, ct. Open three days per week, carrying a wide range of books and periodicals. The library has approximately 325 card holders and numerous other users each year.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 63
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 78.5%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -90.5%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 15.61; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 46.5%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.5% per year; rating input score 0; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 78.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $40K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $15K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.