Handel and Haydn Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042126598
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2020
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6172621815
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Music

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,537,602
Expenses
$8,878,274
Assets
$42,093,535
Liabilities
$3,156,167

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

Leadership & pay

43 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID SNEAD (PRESIDENT AND CEO (TO 5/25))
  • MANETH DETHCHAN-BELTRAN (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/ CEO (AS OF 5/25))

Highest reported compensation

  • DAVID SNEAD (PRESIDENT AND CEO (TO 5/25)): $422,705 total reported compensation
  • MANETH DETHCHAN-BELTRAN (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/ CEO (AS OF 5/25)): $287,097 total reported compensation
  • SARAH MANOOG (VP MARKETING): $217,694 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The handel and haydn society's mission is to perform baroque and classical music at the highest levels of artistic excellance and to share that music with as large and diverse an audience as possible. The society is equally dedicated to fostering the love, knowledge, and performance of music among young people, especially those in under-served schools and communities, through the karen s. And george d. Levy educational outreach program.

What it reported doing in 2024

The handel and haydn society's 2023-24 season featured renowned conductors and professional musicians in innovative, interdisciplinary programs that showcased repertoire of the baroque and classical eras. H+h's period instrument orchestra includes 24 tenured musicians and a pool of 50 additional first-call players, all specially trained in the historically informed performance of music from late 17th through early 19th centuries. The 70 member professional h+h chorus is equally accomplished and features some of the most talented singers on the east coast. These artists perform more than 20 concerts each year including the annual performance of handel's messiah at symphony hall, a 168-year-old tradition. The society's concert series reaches 35,000 audience members annually.

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 - 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 71.7%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.61 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 97.1%; rating input score 97; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -35.8%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.74; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.9%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.1% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 71.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 33 of 34 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $6.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $423K · 43 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • 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 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.