Mineralogical Society of America

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
526044250
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Chantilly, VA, USA
Phone
7036529950
Rating
92
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Physical & Earth Sciences,

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,718,799
Expenses
$2,160,506
Assets
$5,809,335
Liabilities
$2,128,384

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Donna L Whitney (President)
  • Sarah Penniston-Dorland (Vice President)
  • Jeffrey Post (Past President)
  • Ann E Benbow (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Ann E Benbow (Executive Director): $105,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Supports the teaching of mineralogical concepts and procedures, and attempts to raise the scientific literacy of society with respect to issues involving mineralogy in the widest sense. The Society publishes journals, a magazine, and books, as well as uses short courses, workshops, lectureships, website, social media, awards, grants, symposia, and meetings for professionals, students, and the public.

What it reported doing in 2024

Publications: Scientific publications (journals and books) and website produced for the advancement and promotion of mineralogy, crystallography, and petrology. Some examples of the publication are: American Mineralogist, subtitled in International Journal of Earth and Planetary Materials, is the print journal of the Society, and it has continuously appeared since 1916. It publishes the results of original scientific research in the fields of mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, and petrology with the goal of providing readers with the best in earth science research. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry - A series of multi-authored, soft-bound books containing cogent and concise reviews of the literature and advances about a subject area. There are 88 volumes published since 1974. Monographs and Textbooks - Single or limited authored, instructional textbooks. Elements - A full-color magazine first published in January 2005, Elements is the official newsletter of the Society. Published bimonthly, each issue also contains several thematic scientific articles written for a broad audience. Handbook of Mineralogy - A definitive modern source for data on all mineral specials. The authors of the handbook, John W. Anthony, Richard A. Bideaux, Kenneth W. Bladh, and Monte C. Nichols have made the volumes and full text of the five volumes available to MSA to keep updated and available in print and electronic forms.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 81% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 92
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 80.4%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $156.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -25.7%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.69; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.9%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 80.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $105K · 12 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $187K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 53/100.