Sounds Good Choir Nfp

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
811445441
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone
6303959542
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Singing, Choral

Reported finances

Revenue
$685,122
Expenses
$887,892
Assets
$1,508,438
Liabilities
$125,122

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARIE DIVIRGILIO (Vice President)
  • LYNN CLARK (President)
  • ROBERT HORNER DEP 2025 (Fmr. President)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANNE SCHANKIN (Executive Dir.): $114,273 total reported compensation
  • JONATHAN MILLER (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): $102,221 total reported compensation
  • SANDRA MILLER (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $69,030 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To enhance the well-being of older adults through choral music in a fun, welcoming community of singers. Non-auditioned choirs, directed by professionals, rehearse and perform free community concerts.

What it reported doing in 2025

Sounds good choirs two choral programs, sounds good and good memories, make up the chicago area's largest no-audition choral group for adults 55 and better, and the only public choir for persons with early-stage dementia and their care partners. The eight sounds good choirs, for adults 55+, offer a fun and welcoming community plus health benefits such as elevated mood, improved cognitive abilities and decreased depression and loneliness. Good memories unique, interactive choir program provides the same health benefits to adults with early-stage dementia and their care partners in a safe, stress-free atmosphere where the focus is on fun and individual strengths. There are no auditions for either choir; everyone is welcome regardless of ability or experience.

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 a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 75.1%; rating input score 75
  • Program expense ratio: 52.7%; rating input score 53
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 22nd 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -29.6%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.7; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.2%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -11.5% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 75.1% of revenue deployed · 52.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $468K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $114K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 30 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 53/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.