League of Women Voters of the City of New York

What it reported doing in 2024

Civic EngagementCritical aspects of the League of Women Voters of NYC outreach are the speaker events developed through its Speakers Bureau and Program Committee. In FY 2025, the Speakers Bureau held dozens of civic engagement workshops with community-based organizations throughout NYC both in person and virtually. These presentations seek to help participants create their own voting action plans: from registration to accessing the polls, developing strategies to influence elected officials through lobbying and advocacy; and share ideas with participants for becoming active in their home communities. The Speakers Bureau also collaborates with the Leagues Committee for Criminal Justice Reform to develop the Returning Citizens Project, incorporating information from our Civics 101 presentation, as well as information about the origins of the voting rights movement. The Program Committee organizes a monthly Lunch with the League speaker series, open to the public. Invited guest speakers included elected and appointed officials and experts on topics of interest including Congestion Pricing, NYCs finances, The Evolving Role of Women in Politics, Whats on the Ballot, and the Citys housing crisis.In addition, the League continued to expand civic engagement outreach through its partnership with the NYC Civic Engagement Commissions Citywide Participatory Budgeting (PB) initiative. Participatory Budgeting gives community members, as young as 11, across NYC the power and voice to propose ideas, and vote on how to spend a designated part of the city budget. In FY25 the League served as a Citywide Partner, conducting in-person Idea Generation Workshops in three boroughs, and balloting across the city connecting with more than 2000 residents. Much of the Leagues work also involves providing ways for members, and the community at large, to learn more about how local government works, become more engaged, and advocate for issues. First published in 1979, What Makes New York City Run is a primer on how NYC government is organized, and in FY25 we revised and updated this seminal publication. Furthering efforts to keep New Yorkers informed, as part of its partnership with the CUNY Graduate Research Center, the League was engaged to update and revamp Who Represents Me? (mygovnyc.org), a website that provides up-to-date contact information for elected officials at all levels of government for every address in New York City. In addition to regularly updating the information following each election, the League has conducted extensive outreach programs to promote awareness of, and usage of the site throughout the election season. As a nonpartisan organization, the League does not support any political party or candidate. However, it does advocate on behalf of issues that align with its core mission. Among these are the Equal Rights Amendment, voting reforms to expand voting access and civic education, and issues of social justice impacting New Yorkers.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 48.3%; rating input score 48
• Program expense ratio: 79.7%; rating input score 80
• Fundraising efficiency: $45.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings

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: 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: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • 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: 41.7%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.53; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings