National Postal Forum

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
526080759
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Gainesville, VA, US
Phone
703-218-5015
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Management & Technical Assistance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,515,248
Expenses
$3,020,830
Assets
$6,805,319
Liabilities
$1,118,951

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MAUREEN GOODSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MAUREEN GOODSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $288,531 total reported compensation
  • MARY GUTHRIE (DIRECTOR OF MARKETING): $213,826 total reported compensation
  • JUDY CLEAR (MANAGER, REGISTRATION & ACCOUNTING): $156,887 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To provide education to business mailers, along with communication and feedback between the USPS and its business customers for a more responsive and efficient mail communications system.

What it reported doing in 2024

The national postal forum (the forum) usually holds an annual forum representing the mailing industry's premier educational and networking event for industry professionals. It provides business mailers with ongoing training and education, and helps them keep pace with the mailing industry's rapid progress. The annual meeting is a combination educational conference and trade show offering numerous choices for attendees.the forum presents a combination of features including consultation centers where customers can meet with usps experts to discuss technical and policy issues, industry exchanges where individual segments of the mailing industry can meet and exchange ideas with their peers, specialized business sessions dealing with all current industry topics and issues, and general sessions that will range in format from a presentation by the postmaster general to presentations on issues of current or immediate concern by the industry.the forum has attracted an average of 3,500 attendees per meeting over the last several years that represent a cross-section of the mailing industry. More than 98% of the attendees are from the u.s. With a number of participants from canada.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 94% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 60
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.2%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 89.4%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 40%; rating input score 40; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 14.1%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.25; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26.5%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 74.2% of revenue deployed · 89.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 10 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $289K · 12 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.2M reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 12 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 40/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.