Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 237243300
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2023–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2022
- Location
- Andover, MA, USA
- Phone
- 9784702066
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $296,315
- Expenses
- $153,558
- Assets
- $1,139,981
- Liabilities
- $4,183
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- David W Brown (President)
- Richard L Fralick (Vice President)
People named in this filing
- Joanne Sexton (Director)
- Steven Butterworth (Director)
- W Thomas Chase (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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The corporation is organized exclusively for educational, charitable and scientific purposes, and in furtherance, but with out limitation, of those purposes shall (a) collect and preserve historical materials, data and equipment relating to railway transportation and make the same available to the public for inspection, analysis and research; (b) hold public discussion groups, forums, panels, lectures or other similar programs and issue newsletters, reports and other publications relating to the technical, economic and historic aspects of railway transportation; (c) conduct railroad field trips of every name and nature on railroads and to sites of significance in the development and use of railway transportation; and (d) conduct other related activities for the promotion of public interest in, and understanding of, railways as a means of passenger and freight transportation.
What it reported doing in 2024
Grants totaling $65,000 (no contribution exceeds $5,000) were made to support the work to preserve historical railroad structures and equipment. Mass Bay RRE volunteers (show crew) participated in railroad-themed shows or events, distributing literature and educating the public about railroads operating around New England in this fiscal year.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 53% for direct work, and 47% for grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and some filed totals do not add up.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 67
- Transparency & Controls: 85
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 82
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 65.5%; rating input score 66
- Program expense ratio: 91.7%; rating input score 92
- 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: 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 48.2%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.42; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 12.2% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 17.1% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 65.5% of revenue deployed · 91.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $141K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 12 people listed
- Consistency: 18 of 19 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.