Florida State University Alumni Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
590705420
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Tallahassee, FL, USA
Phone
8506442761
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Alumni Associations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,436,536
Expenses
$2,261,781
Assets
$7,036,610
Liabilities
$182,278

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

Leadership & pay

40 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Julie Decker (President and CEO)
  • Christianna Ford (Director/SAA President - began 1/25)
  • Erika Kegler (Director/FSU Black Alumni President)
  • James Pate (Director/Emeritus President)
  • Madeline King (Director/SAA President - thru 12/24)
  • Lauren Schoenberger (Executive Director of University Advancement Communications - thru 3/25)

Highest reported compensation

  • Marla A Vickers (FSU Presidential Designee): $524,866 total reported compensation
  • Julie Decker (President and CEO): $282,681 total reported compensation
  • Marcus Nicolas (Executive Director of Alumni Engagement, Operations and Administration): $154,535 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Advancing our University's greatness while enriching the lives of the Seminole family.

What it reported doing in 2024

With more than 400,000 living alumni of Florida State University ("FSU"), FSU Alumni Association ("the Association") coordinates and promotes various events throughout the year for the purpose of engaging alumni, Seminole clubs, affiliate groups, and students of FSU. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the Association supported 51 Seminole Clubs and 19 Seminole Chapters connecting proud FSU alumni in cities across the country, held over 60 events for over 4,900 attendees, and celebrated over 100 alumni during awards and recognition events.

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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.8%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 64.5%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.44 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 24th 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: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.2%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.11; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.1% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.8% of revenue deployed · 64.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 32 of 34 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $525K · 40 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 44 of 45 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: 14 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 42/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Fund balance restriction sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.