German American Society Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 743009612
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2014–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2013
- Location
- New Braunfels, TX, USA
- Phone
- 5127993774
- Rating
- 73
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Humanities Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $68,805
- Expenses
- $31,981
- Assets
- $252,724
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ERIC TENNYSON (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- ERIC TENNYSON (PRESIDENT)
- CINDY TENNYSON (1ST VICE PRE)
- STEVEN WARD (2ND VICE PRE)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The purpose of the society is to encourage the use of the german language, to identify and preserve the valuable elements in our Texas culture contributed by the germans in this great state, to encourage german american exchange, and to promote activities within the community that reflect cultural values of german origin.
What it reported doing in 2025
The german american society, inc. Is continuing to be a thriving group of volunteers in the community who work diligently to promote the german heritage. We had a successful year in 2025 in membership retention and outreach while engaging others in the community with active outreach and educational activities. Our membership records have been revised and updated showing, 212 paid members and 38 unpaid (memorial, board) members. Our booth at wurstfest was vibrant and manned by our membership who enjoy meeting and helping people purchasing items from germany. The society had great sales in 2025 for the 10 day celebration. Our proceeds were outstanding and will be well used for charities in the next year. We also sold pretzels at the renaissance faire and made a small profit as well as met many prospective members. Many volunteers participated in both ventures. The adult german classes were held at cross lutheran for 10 weeks with beginner and intermediate classes with over 37 students enrolled. We hosted the german maskenball at the elks lodge, which is a great tradition. Our young singers entertained several of our meetings with the edelweiss kinderchor, and we were able to present a graduating senior with a scholarship for college. We also support the kinder tanzers by supplying hats and dirndls/lederhosen to the young dancers for performances. Society was a major donor for the annual folkfest at the heritage village, a celebration all the different heritages that have settled in this region. In an effort to continue our german heritage and language, we sponsor the children's german language camp every summer by donating the funds to the heritage society to cover the cost for the building to hold the camp classes. There are approximately 100 kids that participate in the classes every summer. We also support and sponsor the german choir, gemischtichor hamonie with performances at our meetings and donations to their group. We also sponsored the beethovan damanchor ladies choir for an event they were participating in to raise funds.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 89% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- 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 total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 63
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Sustainability: 76
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 44%; rating input score 44
- Program expense ratio: 94.6%; rating input score 95
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 53.5%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.9; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 44% of revenue deployed · 94.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $30K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2014 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 44/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.