Iowa Genealogical Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237102656
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Des Moines, IA, USA
Phone
5152760287
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$147,179
Expenses
$80,226
Assets
$1,063,231
Liabilities
$285,348

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Joe Solem (President)
  • Pam Washington (VIce President)
  • Elizabeth Albright (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Joe Solem (President)
  • Pam Washington (VIce President)
  • Jennifer Darling (Secretary)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

To educate its members and the general public through the preservation acquisition and dissemination of genealogical historical and cultural information including the maintenance of a research library the publication of records and the presentation of conferences workshops and classes.

What it reported doing in 2024

The society presented 2 major conferences on various topics with an approximate total attendance of 145. The conference and other classes are presented in person as well as via Zoom allowing individuals outside of Des Moines to attend. Each month there are classes on specialized topics with an average attendance of 15 per class. These classes are open to the public and are recorded so they can be watched at later dates. There are 9 groups that meet monthly via Zoom to discuss researching various nationalities and software as well as DNA. The society maintains a Facebook page to share information. A bi-annual publication with genealogical information is sent to all members. They also receive a bi-monthly newsletter and a bi-weekly email update. Volunteers teach classes at societies libraries and community groups throughout the state.

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.

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: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 80
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 45.7%; rating input score 46
  • Program expense ratio: 83.5%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 13th 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: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 45.5%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.25; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 45.7% of revenue deployed · 83.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $67K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 17 people listed
  • Consistency: 40 of 41 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • 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 46/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 17/100.