Hearing Loss Association of America

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521177011
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Mclean, VA, USA
Phone
3016572248
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Deaf/Hearing Impaired Centers

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,932,883
Expenses
$2,481,720
Assets
$7,144,893
Liabilities
$837,846

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BARBARA KELLEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • BARBARA KELLEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $215,414 total reported compensation
  • RINI INDRAWATI (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS): $143,734 total reported compensation
  • MEREDITH RESNICK (DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS): $134,161 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Hlaa opens the world of communication to people with hearing loss through information, education, support and advocacy. Hlaa is the leading voice of the growing number of people with hearing loss in the u.s. Hlaa advocates for communication access, end to stigma, and awareness.

What it reported doing in 2024

Hlaa is the leading advocacy organization fighting to improve accessible communication, to broaden access to hearing care and treatment, and to ensure the rights of people with hearing loss. We work with our members, chapters, and professional and industry allies before congress, the executive branch, and regulatory agencies, pursuing positive change that improves the lives of millions every day. Hlaa's unique position of the unconflicted voice who represents comsumers is key to progess and positive outcomes.advocacy work includes, but not limited to: co-chaired the task force that filed a comprehensive report to the fcc resulting in the fcc issuing regulations for 100% compatiibilty with cell phones and hearing AIDS and cochlear implants, including comments on volume control; mobilized support for legislation that will broaden access for video, communication, and emerging technologies; filed comments with the fcc in support of creating quality metrics for captioned phones; partnered with the department of transportation to ensure that consumers know their rights under the air carrier access act (acaa) and saw the reasuthorization of the faa legislation to inlcude communications access in airports and in-flight; advocated with the u. S. Preventive services taskforce to recommend hearing screening in adults ages 50+ in medical exams; filed comments on updating the regulations on the older americans act. Our continued work on accessible telehealth with captions and medical access and support for legislation such as medicare and the communications, video, and technology accessibility act, will continue to broaden hearing access for millions with hearing loss. Advocate for congressionally mandated funds for hearing research.hlaa represents the consumer perspective on a variety of global and national committees, such as the fcc's disability advisory committee, national insititues of health council of councils, national institute on deafness and other communication disorders advisory council (nih), friends of the congressional hearing health caucus, tsa's disability and medical condition coalition, hearing restoration research program (cdmrp), hearing health care collaborate, cochlear implant international community of action, various industry advisory boards, and others.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 85% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - 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 reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 63
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 68.1%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 78.8%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.5 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: 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: 15.4%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.88; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.9%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 68.1% of revenue deployed · 78.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $215K · 19 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 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: 3 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.