The German Society of Pennsylvania

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231365333
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2021
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2021
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
215-627-2332
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$790,762
Expenses
$516,478
Assets
$9,362,323
Liabilities
$33,137

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2021. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARK MCGUIGAN (PRESIDENT)
  • TONY MICHELS (PRESIDENT EM)
  • HARDY VON AUENMUELLER (PRESIDENT EM)
  • ERNEST WEILER (PRESIDENT EM)

People named in this filing

  • BARBARA AFANASSIEV (DIRECTOR)
  • EDWARD CATTELL (DIRECTOR)
  • HAROLD GLASS (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 2021. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The German Society of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that promotes the understanding of German and German-American contributions to the history, culture, economy, science, and technology of the United States, and maintains an awareness of German culture and traditions.

What it reported doing in 2021

The society sponsors many cultural events at it's historic facility. These events are open to the general public and highlight german music and culture. The building is constantly being renovated.

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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the available information about grant readiness automatic revocation leaves an important question unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 55
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 86
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.3%; rating input score 57
  • Program expense ratio: 69.9%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 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: 7 of 7 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: 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: 34.7%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 18.13; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 57.3% of revenue deployed · 69.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $361K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 22 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 to 2021
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.