Sonoma League for Historic Preservation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237358957
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Sonoma, CA, USA
Phone
7079388023
Rating
49
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Historical Societies & Historic Preservation

Reported finances

Revenue
$38,701
Expenses
$41,971
Assets
$738,308
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHIP ALLEN (President)

People named in this filing

  • MARY SZYKOWNY (Treasurer)
  • CHIP ALLEN (President)
  • BILL WISIALOWSKI (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

The mission is to educate, promote interest in, and advocate for the preservation of historic buildings, neighborhoods, and landscapes in the City of Sonoma and Sonoma Valley.

What it reported doing in 2024

Maintanining and staffing of historic structures, including a library and various exhibits.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 67% 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.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and total assets are large relative to annual expenses, but may not be spendable cash. 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: 6
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 58
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 2.6%; rating input score 3
  • Program expense ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 2
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.2 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 0 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -8.4%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 17.59; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.3% per year; rating input score 0; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.3% per year; rating input score 0; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 2.6% of revenue deployed · 2.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 0 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $42K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 19 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 3/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 36/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 47/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.