The Clifton Club

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
340154300
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lakewood, OH, USA
Phone
2165213051
Rating confidence
Limited

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,581,293
Expenses
$1,582,742
Assets
$2,056,178
Liabilities
$655,860

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HUGH O'DONNELL (PRESIDENT EX OFFICIO)
  • MICHAEL HAMED (PRESIDENT)
  • BILL BARMANN (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHY STRINGER (GENERAL MANAGER): $162,342 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 clifton club is a social club, the purpose of which is to promote the means of entertainment, recreation and enjoyment for its members and their guests, and to provide culture, intellectual improvement, and social interaction.

What it reported doing in 2024

The clifton club is a premier dining and social club located on america's north coast in lakewood, Ohio, a western suburb of cleveland. Since 1902, the clifton club has been one of the most pleasant places to visit and spend time on the shores of lake erie, providing a quiet and relaxing experience with the convenience of being close to the greater cleveland area. Today, the club offers its members best-in-class service from a dedicated staff, mouthwatering food prepared by a highly trained and experienced chef, and all this provided in a beautiful historical building situated 90 feet above lake erie at the mouth of rocky river. Our 3-story clubhouse provides a haven for its members and their guests. It is a place to meet, socialize, and enjoy fine food and impeccable service. The clubhouse is composed of formal and informal dining rooms and lounges, a private dining room, a pub, as well as a terrace overlooking our beautiful patio and manicured gardens. The clifton club is truly a rare gem and a treasure of lakewood, cleveland and all of northeast Ohio. Membership at june 30, 2025 was comprised of the following categories: resident - 223 social - 30 park - 43 resident membership: reside less than 50 miles from club; dining privileges; member events; no rental charges/fees for private events; avon oaks golf privileges; additional reciprocal club privileges; clifton beach access social membership: reside less than 50 miles from club; dining privileges; member events; no rental charges/fees for private events; avon oaks golf privilges; additional reciprocal club privileges; no clifton beach access park membership: reside in clifton park or clifton lagoons; dining privileges; member events; no rental charges/fees for private events; avon oaks golf privileges; additional reciprocal club privileges; clifton beach access deeded to clifton park and clifton lagoons residents.

Operating model

Revenue model
Membership-supported. 82% of the money available for current operations came from membership dues.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 60
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.1%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.3; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.32; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.3%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -85.7% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
  • Leadership: top reported pay $162K · 17 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 11 of 11 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 35/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.