The Sonedna Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
020785163
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2011–2016
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2016
Location
Charleston, MS, USA
Phone
6626256187
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Humanities Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$25,513
Expenses
$6,085
Assets
$46,938
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2016. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MYRNA COLLEY-LEE (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • MYRNA COLLEY-LEE (PRESIDENT)
  • JEFFREY BROWN (SECRETARY)
  • DION BROWN (TREASURER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2016. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

SonEdna celebrates and promotes literary arts and writers of all genres and backgrounds in the Delta, in Mississippi, and the world. Through our programs and residencies we support the development of diverse, divergent, and emerging writers. We champion the essential value of literature by providing a quality artistic and intellectual environment for writers and the public. We believe people empowered through the literary arts discern, decide and design with authority, clarity, understanding and compassion.

What it reported doing in 2016

1, Strategic planning for the development of a writers' center2. Mississippi Treasures, featuring a book signing by Malcolm White (Little Stories: A Collection of MS Photos) and Ed Meek (Riot: Witness to Anger and Change), with musical performance by Alphonso Sanders, and an exhibition of pottery by Rachel Ballentine.3. "Story Hour" at the Charleston Arts Revitalization Center. Master storytellers Jerry Jenkins and Diane Williams used drums and dances to engage with people of all ages at the 2016 local Gateway to the Delta Festival. SonEdna presented Djaliya, comprised of Master Storyteller Diane Williams and Master Drummer/Storyteller Jerry Jenkins. Williams is a community artist, author and mixed media fiber artist. Jenkins is a MAC roster performing and teaching Artist who masterfully taught the listeners how to beat their way into being part of the story.In addition to Djaliya, Myrna Colley-Lee and Jackie Jones read together from The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, the children's classic by Jon Scieszka and Illustrated by Lane Smith.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 52
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 87
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 23.7%; rating input score 24
  • Program expense ratio: 99.4%; rating input score 99

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 76.1%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.71; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -19.4% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -38.2% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 23.7% of revenue deployed · 99.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $6K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2011 to 2016
  • 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 24/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.