Gualala Arts Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
946121872
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Gualala, CA, USA
Phone
7078841138
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Arts Education

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$996,633
Expenses
$880,332
Assets
$2,883,404
Liabilities
$132,693

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • David Susalla (Executive Director)
  • Eric Wilder (Past President)
  • Joan Wood (Vice President)
  • Andrea Lunsford (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • David Susalla (Executive Director): $85,200 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Promote public interest and participation in the arts.

What it reported doing in 2024

Global Harmony Series: Presented by Gualala Arts, this annual series showcases touring musicians and unique performances. Highlights from this year included Kitka and Men of Worth. This programming is hugely popular and brings acts from all over the world to the Mendonoma Coast. Whale & Jazz Festival The 2024 Whale & Jazz Festival featured a series of acclaimed performances, including a Dave Brubeck retrospective, An Evening of George Gershwin, and tributes to jazz greats such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. Highlights included Bay Area Jazz Masters, with Tommy Kesecker, Benny Watson, Randy Vincent, Steve Webber, and Jimmy Hobson, and Bay Area Jazz Legends: Dick Conte & Randy Vincent in Concert. These extremely popular concerts attracting as many as 100 attendees per concert. Gualala Arts Interest Groups Gualala Arts includes nearly 30 different interest groups, some of the larger include: North Coast Artists Guild (NCAG): NCAG champions the local arts community through signature programs like the Studio Discovery Tour, which draws thousands of visitors and showcases nearly 50 artists. The Guild also presents the Gualala Salon and Salon des Refuss, curates the Magical Art of Collaboration exhibit, manages the Discovery Gallery, and fosters artist growth through support services and Artist to Artist critiques. The Pacific Piecemakers Quilt Guild (PPQG): Monthly meetings, workshops, and annual quilt challenge exhibits at Gualala Arts. Sea Ranch Artists Residency (SRAR): Invitational residency and public lectures Fiber Arts Interest Group: is a wonderful opportunity for basket makers and weavers to come together and share their passion for fiber arts and is open to all current Gualala Arts Members which meet twice a month at Gualala Fiber Arts Interest Group: is a wonderful opportunity for basket makers and weavers to come together and share their passion for fiber arts and is open to all current Gualala Arts Members which meet twice a month at Gualala Arts Collage Interest Group- this vibrant group of artists meet twice a month at Gualala Arts. Collage Interest Group is a community of artists who enjoy exploring mixed media techniques for self-discovery and artistry, open to all skill levels and styles of approaching mixed media. Friends of the Pizza Oven (FOPO) a group of about 80 or so members who meet monthly while the weather is good. The Friends of the Pizza Oven (FOPO) culinary group is dedicated to creating handmade, artisan pizzas from fresh ingredients in the Gualala Arts wood fired pizza oven. Readers Theater: which meets monthly at Gualala Arts to read plays (they always end up having way too much fun) The Tuesday Crew: Affectionately known as the Tuesdays a dedicated group of volunteers that manage the beautiful Gualala Arts Gardens and walking trails as well as help out with project and maintenance of the Gualala Arts Building.

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

STRONG - 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: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 63
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.5%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 77.8%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.7%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.28; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.7%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 71.5% of revenue deployed · 77.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $685K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $85K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 19/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.