Comics Professional Retailers Org

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
412152677
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023
Location
Irvine, CA, USA
Phone
7144468871
Rating
47
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Chambers of Commerce & Business Leagues

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$213,592
Expenses
$198,084
Assets
$122,407
Liabilities
$55,962

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOE MURRAY (President)
  • JENN HAINES (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARCO DAVANZO (Executive Dir.): $44,980 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Comics professional retailers was organized to promote the progress and development of comic book retailers, to help develop better marketing and daily business practices for comic book retailers, and to improve the condition of the comics industry by educating the public about comic books in general and providing a voice for independent comic book retailers.

What it reported doing in 2024

In February, COMICS PROFESSIONAL RETAILERS ORG (COMICSPRO) held its annual meeting in person, in Pittsburgh, PA. The meeting brought together comic book retailers, vendors, distributors, and other suppliers to discuss the status of the comic book industry. ADDITIONAL 2024 EVENTS WORTH NOTING: Organized a committee (Metadata Working Group) that included representatives from Comics Distributors, Publishers, and Retailers. This committee created the COMET standard a comics medata standard that the industry can start implementing to to help improve the inconsistent metadata that exists in the comics industry. For more information: https://cometstandard.com/ Shared information through a monthly member newsletter and through Facebook to help both member stores and non-member stores succeed. Worked with various suppliers to provide special deals to comic book retailers. Supported Free Comic Book Day by helping retailers get the word out. Was the main logistical support for the world wide event 24 Hour Comics Day. We registered each venue, advertised the event nationwide, hosted the website and blog. Was the main logistical support for the Local Comic Shop Day. This event highlights local comic book stores and their role as pop fire-starters in the comics industry. We licensed each venue, negotiated with the distributors and publishers, advertised the event nationwide, and hosted the website and blog. Provided mentoring to prospective comic book store owners. Provided various in-person and online educational seminars to retailers. Advocated for Comics Retailers (to the public and to Comics Publishers and Distributors).

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 73% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. 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: 0
  • Transparency & Controls: 93
  • Accountability: 69
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.3%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.62; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.46; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 22.7%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed · 0% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
  • Leadership: top reported pay $45K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 12 of 13 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Functional expense sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 55/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.