Elizabethtown Public Library

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231628480
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Elizabehtown, PA, USA
Phone
7173677467
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Libraries

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$874,695
Expenses
$968,803
Assets
$3,588,019
Liabilities
$7,536

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • DEBORAH DRURY (EXECUTIVE DI): $85,297 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Making dreams come true: educating, empowering, and enriching the greater elizabethtown area by stimulating learning, literacy, and the acquisition of knowledge through the provision of educational, informational, and recreational books, resources, and programs.

What it reported doing in 2025

The library provides educational and informational resources, programs, and services that promote the acquisition and development of literacy. These services include books and other materials housed and loaned to the public at their request, programming experiences for children through adults, and special events featuring speakers and musicians to entertain and inform. The library stimulates learning in various ways. One is the year-long world cafe program. The coffee company supports the mission through the world cafe program which provides educational, informational, and recreational experiences highlighting various countries, cultures, and communities around the world. Peoples dreams and career aspirations are supported through passport services, fingerprinting, networking opportunities, and materials available related to careers and professional development. More than 15,000 people have active library cards for elizabethtown public library. Many people who use the library on a daily basis do not have a library card and only use library services when they are at the library. From people experiencing housing insecurity to those who live comfortably, the library is here for everyone. Making an effort to represent all walks of life and points of vie, the library strives to be a place where all types of people are welcome and served well.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 82%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $17.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 51; 51st 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -10.8%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.7; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.4% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92% of revenue deployed · 82% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $795K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $85K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 51/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.