Liberty Bell Shrine of Allentown Inc CO Lehigh County Historical Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
236289914
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
Allentown, PA, USA
Phone
6104351074
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$12,260
Expenses
$320,204
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Dr Dennis Blankowitsch (President)

People named in this filing

  • Christine Bauder (Director)
  • Dr Dennis Blankowitsch (President)
  • Radell Ludwig (Director)

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 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Organization operates a historic museum in Allentown, PA where the famous Liberty Bell was once hidden from the British during the Revolutionary War. the museum educates the general public on the awareness of this historic event by sponsoring tours of its facilities. The museum also displays artifacts and memorabilia on the history of this historical event.

What it reported doing in 2023

The 60th Anniversary of the Liberty Bell Museum: The Diamond Jubilee - Conceived in 1959 as a way to celebrate Allentown's Revolutionary War connection with the Liberty Bell for Allentown's bicentennial year of 1962, th eLiberty Bell Shrine Museum has intertwined the histories of this city with one of the most famous bells in the works. Our next exhibit, "The Diamond Jubilee: The 60th Anniversary of the Liberty Bell Museum" takes you from th origin of th eLiberty Bell to 1777, when the Pennsylvania State House Bell was brought to what was then Northampton Towne, through 185 years of oral history that kept the legend alive, to the founding of the Museum and beyond. The exhibit runs from MAy-September, with an opening night program and reception on Thursday, May 19th at 6:30 p.m. Join us as the Museum celebrates its history and looks to the future.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 73% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 80% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 60
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 9
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 91.6%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.86 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 84.6%; rating input score 85; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2,511.8%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.9% per year; rating input score 0; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 91.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $293K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 22 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 20 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.