Horror Writers Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
341564274
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2018
Location
Westerville, OH, USA
Phone
6143740079
Rating
66
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Professional Societies, Associations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$463,647
Expenses
$364,847
Assets
$253,742
Liabilities
$89,825

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANGELA YURIKO SMITH (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MAXWELL GOLD (EXECUTIVE DI): $93,941 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 horror writers association (hwa) is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals around the world, dedicated to promoting dark literature and the intersts of those who write it. Hwa was formed in the late 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including dean koontz, robert mccammon, and joe lansdale. Today-- with over 1400 members in countries all over the world--it is the oldest and most respected professional organization for the much loved writers who have brought you the most enjoyable sleepless nights of your life. Our mission -- is to encourage public interest in and foster an appreciation of good horror and dark fantasy literature. To that end, we offer the public areas of this web site, we sponsor or take part in occasional public readings and lectures, we publish a blog and produce other materials for booksellers and librarians, we facilitate readings and signings by horror writers, and we maintain an official presense at the major fan-based

What it reported doing in 2024

Outreach -- hwa also works to expand appreciation of the genre and literature in general by promoting education. We've donated memberships to writing workshops, and worked with universities to provide genre experts as guest lecturers. We're always looking for ways to expand our educational outreach. The hwa mentor program -- we feel strongly that one of the best ways we can contribute to the health of the horror genre is by helping to educate beginning writers in the ins-and-outs of both the craft and the business of writing. Yet writing courses are expensive, never last long enough, and rarely deal with the practicalities of establishing a career in writing. For that reason, we've created the hwa mentor program. Participating professional horror writers are paired with affiliate and supporting members who wish to learn a little or a lot about everything from the craft of writing to the pitfalls of contract negotiations. Scholarships -- hwa also works to expand appreciation of the genre and literature in the general by promoting education. We've donated memberships to writing workshops, and worked with universities to provide genre experts as quest lecturers. We're always looking for ways to expand our educational outreach. Diverse works inclusion committee -- to ensure the horror writers association (hwa) includes the widest possible representation of those working in the horror/dark fantasy genre, the hwa has formed the diverse works inclusion committee. This committee is tasked with actively seeking writers and editors with diverse backgrounds. Hwa mental health initiative -- the horror writers association is pleased to launch its mental health initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the consept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization's wellness committee, debuts in june 2022 and will form part of an ongoing program.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 66% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program 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 most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 47
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 63
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 47.8%; rating input score 48
  • Program expense ratio: 61.9%; rating input score 62
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 21.3%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.7; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.35; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 25.7%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 47.8% of revenue deployed · 61.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $226K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $94K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 48/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.