Evanston Symphony Orchestra Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
366108588
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Evanston, IL, USA
Phone
8478648804
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Symphony Orchestras

Reported finances

Revenue
$327,295
Expenses
$305,499
Assets
$444,117
Liabilities
$36,897

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LAURA CINAT (PRESIDENT)
  • PENELOPE SACHS (1ST VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ROBIN ASHTON (2ND VICE PRESIDENT)
  • SUSAN G PATINO (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • LAURA CINAT (PRESIDENT)
  • PENELOPE SACHS (1ST VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ROBIN ASHTON (2ND VICE PRESIDENT)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

To promote and provide education and appreciation in the field of music, thereby contributing to the cultural life of the evanston community, and to provide an outlet for the musical talents of people who reside in the area.

What it reported doing in 2024

Regular Concerts: The Evanston Symphony Orchestra performs four subscription concerts a year. Orchestra musicians all volunteer their time. We pay our music director and our concertmaster. Soloists include nationally and internationally recognized artists. Ticket prices are kept low to ensure accessibility. Children 12 and under are admitted free. The Orchestra gives free pre-concert lectures in Evanston on the Friday preceding each concert, and provides appropriate program booklets to both adults and children (KidNotes, HighNotes, and large print) at all concerts.

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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 52
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.6%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 80.1%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.38 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 6.7%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.45; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.6% of revenue deployed · 80.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $245K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 28/100.