National Womens Studies Association Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

NATIONAL CONFERENCE: The annual convening of the NWSA is the signature program of the Association. Our annual conference brings together approximately 1,800 activists, administrators, artists, educators, dreamers, practitioners, and feminist trouble makers with a vested interest in and commitment to promoting and supporting the production and dissemination of knowledge about gender and sexuality through teaching, learning, research and service in academic and other settings. Emerging scholars, such as undergraduate and graduate students, present their original research and engage in feedback from experts in the field. On average, over 900 scholarly papers and 400 panel sessions define the conference program as they explore facets of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality studies in and outside of academia. The conference melds professional development, community, and coalition building for our membership in addition to showcasing the latest contributions in our discipline.Pre-Conferences: Our Annual Pre-Conferences are an initiative that provide tailored and structured professional development for three branches of our membership: Program and Administration (PAD) for our program chairs and directors, Women's Centers Committee (WCC) for our educators anchored in Women's and Gender Equity centers, and our Women of Color Leadership program which is focused on providing support and resources to women of color navigating different areas of the field (administration, faculty, organizations, etc). The PAD Pre-Conference provides administrators with ideas, strategies, and approaches to both strengthen and grow WGSS programs in hard times. These include: supporting diverse leadership, building coalitions across campus and across town, fundraising, battling backlash, making external reviews successful, incorporating service learning requirements, and more. The WCC provides an opportunity for women's center directors, staff and others to gather and share information, ideas, challenges, successes and support. This space serves as one of the coalition building, professional development and alchemy as Women's Centers staff work to address sociopolitical issues that impact their sites of learning, the field as a whole, and our interpersonal lives. The WoCLP is designed to increase the number of women of color students, staff and faculty members within the field of women's studies and women's centers and, consequently, to have impact on the levels of participation and power by women of color in the field of women's studies and women's centers, in NWSA, and in PAD and WCC. On average our attendance for each pre-conference is as follows: PAD (60-80) attendees, WCC (50-60 attendees), and WoCLP (40 attendees).

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 81.9%; rating input score 82
• Program expense ratio: 73.4%; rating input score 73
• Fundraising efficiency: $1.04 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Limited
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • 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: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -16.9%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.99; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 22.8%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 0.4% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings