Oratorio Society of New York
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 131136460
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Phone
- 2124007255
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $907,031
- Expenses
- $823,908
- Assets
- $1,284,364
- Liabilities
- $39,295
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
26 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- GYASI BARBER (PRESIDENT)
- WILLIAM FORSYTH (VICE PRESIDENT)
- JANET PLUCKNETT (VICE PRESIDENT)
- ELKE D RASKOB (VICE PRESIDENT)
- ELIZABETH SIMPSON (VICE PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- LESLIE AUSTIN (ASSISTANT TREASURER)
- GYASI BARBER (PRESIDENT)
- DEBORAH BRADLEY-KRAMER (DIRECTOR)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our mission is to contribute to the cultural fabric of New York city through public performance of both classical and contemporary choral works at the highest musical standards. We are committed to the musical development of members, audience and artists.
What it reported doing in 2024
Three concert performances at Carnegie Hall and one at the Cathedral of St John the Divine. Solo Competition held.
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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 94
- Sustainability: 61
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 82.9%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $49.22 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: 9.2%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.56; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.6% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 77% of revenue deployed · 82.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 26 of 26 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $683K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 26 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $105K reported
- Consistency: 44 of 45 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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 — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Document-retention policy not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.