Daystar Foundation and Library Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
731361940
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2023
Location
Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Phone
4058482238
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,782,457
Expenses
$2,364,069
Assets
$24,259,814
Liabilities
$147,921

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kathleen W Starrett-Trustee (Executive Director & President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Kathleen W Starrett-Trustee (Executive Director & President): $177,704 total reported compensation
  • Valerie Bookout (Accounting Manager & Secretary): $111,022 total reported compensation
  • Troy M Simmonds (Archivist): $107,064 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Daystar Fdn and Library's mission is to foster deeper and more wide- spread interest in the history of Christian Science as discovered by Mary Baker Eddy and to inspire heartfelt appreciation for her and for those students of hers who faithfully served the Church she founded.

What it reported doing in 2024

Presentation series regarding the history of the Bible, Christianity, and Christian Science. Daystar's historical research publication, Library Notes, Volume 28 was written and published during 2024. Free copies were mailed to over 1250 addresses. Free copies of Daystar's annual publication of a historical pamphlet or frameable card were mailed to approximately 286 addresses. Statement continued on Schedule O.During a local conference related to Christian Science, over 50 guests were offered tours of Daystar, access to the Library collection, and research help. The Traveling Program (AKA Road Show) was presented by Daystar's Archivist and Librarian to groups in different communities where they were invited by Daystar supporters to introduce the Foundation and share Christian Science history with potential members. They gave 1 of these presentations in 2024.The New England Field Program offered a trip to New Hampshire and Massachusetts where 6 attendees visited sites of historic significance to the founding and early years of Christian Science.The new field program to Germany planned to launch in 2024 was cancelled due to attendees' cancellations. The 2024 fall event had over 200 attendees and included tours of the library and new wing; time for guests to study and research; a piano duet concert with variations on hymns from "The Christian Science Hymnal; a hymn sing; a movie about an early worker in the Christian Science movement, John Randall Dunn; a staff panel presentation about items in the Library collection; and a talk by author and former college professor Gergory W. Sandford, Ph.D. highlighting his book Christian Science in East Germany.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 85% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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 most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 55
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 80
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 52.2%; rating input score 52
  • Program expense ratio: 77.2%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 84.6%; rating input score 85; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 89.7%; rating input score 90; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 37.5%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.26; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.7%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 52.2% of revenue deployed · 77.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $178K · 8 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $335K reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 32 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 52/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Whistleblower policy not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.