Lenox Library Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042104388
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lenox, MA, USA
Phone
4136370197
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Libraries

Reported finances

Revenue
$326,774
Expenses
$327,330
Assets
$4,331,332
Liabilities
$72,373

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • EDWARD RICHTER (PRESIDENT)
  • MARYBETH MITTS (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • EDWARD RICHTER (PRESIDENT)
  • MARYBETH MITTS (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • BRUCE GAMBLE (TREASURER)

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 support a public library and other related activities and to engage generally in any causes or objectives similar to the above mentioned in order to promote the intellectual, cultural and informational well-being and growth of the general community and its members.

What it reported doing in 2024

See schedule owhile library operations were transferred to the town of lenox as of november 9, 2017, the association continues to use its extensive resources and volunteer fundraising efforts to support the organization and its related activities. The association serves library patrons of all ages through free access to its collection of books, reference materials, periodicals, audio and video catalogues, artifacts, and historical archives. Collectively, these resources are used to enrich the intellectual, cultural and informational needs and wants of the greater lenox community. In addition, the association actively raises money to help ensure new library resources and programs and makes fixed support payments to the town toward this end.programs include: general support for the library, youth programs and tanglewood talks (yudkin) - each serving 69,090, 5,084, and 640 clients respectively in fy25.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% 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 - 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 46
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 53.9%; rating input score 54
  • Program expense ratio: 45.7%; rating input score 46
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 27th 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: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.2%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.23; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -10.1% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4.2% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 53.9% of revenue deployed · 45.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $150K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 54/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 46/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 8/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.