New England Historic Genealogical Society
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 042104757
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Boston, MA, USA
- Phone
- 6175365740
- Rating
- 72
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $24,713,504
- Expenses
- $16,156,300
- Assets
- $97,054,844
- Liabilities
- $26,454,452
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
32 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- RYAN WOODS (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
- D BRENTON SIMONS (PRESIDENT EMERITUS AND CHIEF STEWARDSHIP OFFICER)
- STEVEN SOLOMON (ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENT)
Highest reported compensation
- RYAN WOODS (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $337,296 total reported compensation
- D BRENTON SIMONS (PRESIDENT EMERITUS AND CHIEF STEWARDSHIP OFFICER): $298,918 total reported compensation
- MEGHAN HALLOCK (CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER (FORMER)): $249,526 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
See schedule o...
What it reported doing in 2024
Website: american ancestorsoffers family history researchers the most-used genealogical society website in the world. Americanancestors.org provides access to more than 1.6 billion records spanning over 25 countries covering early american, new england, New York, irish, english, italian, scottish, atlantic and french canadian, african american, native american, chinese, jewish genealogy, and more, including one of the most extensive online collections of early american genealogical records, the largest searchable collection of published genealogical research journals and magazines, and the largest collection of u.s catholic records online. In 2018, family tree magazine noted americanancestors.org as a best genealogy records website, and as one of the best genealogy websites in the world.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 46
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 75
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 44.1%; rating input score 44
- Program expense ratio: 58.3%; rating input score 58
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.8 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- 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: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 34.6%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.01; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12.1%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 44.1% of revenue deployed · 58.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 24 of 24 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $9.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $337K · 32 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $14.2M reported
- Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 44/100.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 19/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.