General Federation of Womens Clubs

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
530196514
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2023, Form 990-N 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2023472938
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Women's Service Clubs

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,086,444
Expenses
$2,532,449
Assets
$8,986,784
Liabilities
$1,413,254

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

Leadership & pay

149 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Suellen Brazil (President)
  • Jolie Frankfurth (Vice President)
  • Mary Beth Williams (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Cheri Meyer (Executive Dir.): $133,905 total reported compensation
  • Deb Strahanoski (Director): $12,462 total reported compensation
  • Suellen Brazil (President): $11,539 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

General Federation of Women's Clubs GFWC is dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.

What it reported doing in 2024

Membership Services - GFWC's overarching goals are to inform, empower, and highlight the grassroots activites of its membership on a national level. Program resources, guidelines, and materials are provided to State Federations to use for their membership. GFWC works to provide the most relevant information to all members in a timely manner. We work with members and leaders at all levels to make meaningful connections and to provide support for the many projects members undertake across the country. We work collaboratively with the communications and public relations volunteers to promote the excellent work and success stories of GFWC Clubs and Clubwomen.

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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 68.1%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 67.9%; rating input score 68
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 13th 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: 98.6%; rating input score 99; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 17.9%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.55; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.2%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.1% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 68.1% of revenue deployed · 67.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 146 of 148 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 14 filed program accomplishments · $1.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $134K · 149 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • 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 11/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.