TESOL International Association

Legal name: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237003530
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Phone
+1 703.518.2500
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$276,098
Expenses
$563,399
Assets
$7,447,609
Liabilities
$2,780,422

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Debra Suarez (President)
  • Justin Shewell (President - Elect)
  • Shelley Taylor (Past President)
  • Rosa Aronson (Interim Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Juliet Mason (Head of Operations): $143,790 total reported compensation
  • Sarah Sarh (Head of E2): $142,696 total reported compensation
  • Rosa Aronson (Interim Executive Director): $129,118 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Advancing the expertise of English language professionals.

What it reported doing in 2024

Book publications - TESOL produces and disseminates serial publications and books that are designed to advance the expertise of English language teaching professionals. TESOL press offers over 100 titles, for educators teaching English as a second or foreign language. In addition, TESOL has 5 zip-guides and 4 6ps quick guides. These shorter, laminated files are designed to share easily digestible information on a slew of ELT topics. TESOL's latest best sellers are our no-prep activity cards. Each deck has 100 easy-to-create activities that give teachers classroom tasks addressing literacy and oracy skills, as well as assessment and AI experiences.Journals - TESOL produces and disseminates serial journals, blogs, and newsletters that are designed to advance the expertise of English language teaching professionals. TESOL publishes two refereed publications (TESOL quarterly and TESOL journal), along with a monthly newsletter, TESOL connections, for all English language professionals, in addition to various other newsletters for specific needs and interests.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 73% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 81%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 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: Limited
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -104.1%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.22; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 96.4%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -5.9% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.6% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 81% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $456K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $144K · 15 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $163K reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 14/100.