Old Dartmouth Historical Society
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 042104805
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- New Bedford, MA, USA
- Phone
- 5089970046
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $18,678,982
- Expenses
- $6,593,225
- Assets
- $51,317,862
- Liabilities
- $1,194,609
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
34 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Amanda McMullen (President & Chief Executive Officer)
Highest reported compensation
- Amanda McMullen (President & Chief Executive Officer): $324,966 total reported compensation
- Michelle Taylor (Chief Administrative Officer & CFO): $233,849 total reported compensation
- Naomi Slipp PhD (Crocker Endowed Chair-Chief Curator): $197,162 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Societys mission is to ignite learning through explorations of art, history, science and culture rooted in the stories of people, the region and an international seaport.
What it reported doing in 2024
Exhibitions related to the whaling history, whale ecology, fine and decorative arts, and the history of the Old Dartmouth region that inspire visitors to reflect on the complex issues that shaped the past and remain relevant today. Scholarship, publications and web content that showcase exceptional research and communicate the Museums mission to a worldwide audience. Collections management that includes conservation, preservation, record keeping, loans and acquisitions of artifacts in the Museum collections, which are integral to the Museums mission and storytelling.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 83% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
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 reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 49
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 83
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 30.1%; rating input score 30
- Program expense ratio: 77%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: $22.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- 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: 64.7%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.78; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.8%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 30.1% of revenue deployed · 77% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 30 of 30 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $5.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $325K · 34 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 30/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.