The Unison Preservation Society Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
542056922
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Middleburg, VA, USA
Phone
2408883624
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$37,483
Expenses
$46,232
Assets
$281,146
Liabilities
$700

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JENNIFER DON (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • LOGAN CUMBERLAND (SECRETARY)
  • MOLLY TOWNSEND-SPECTOR (TREASURER)
  • JENNIFER DON (PRESIDENT)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The unison historic preservation society was incorporated in 2001 to help maintain the historic character in and around unison. Through the society's efforts, unison was placed on the Virginia landmarks register in 2002 and the national register of historic places in 2003.

What it reported doing in 2024

Historic preservation and cultural appreciation: voiced concerns to loudoun county about the planned development of a farm in the unison area. In that regard, the unison preservation society hired attorneys to research land records and related legal criteria and engaged an engineering firm to monitorwells on adjacent properties that could be adversely impacted by t he project. The farm was not developed as the builder sold it to one of the adjacent property owners. Researched county easements on another unison-area farm that was purchased by a developer and monitored activities to ensure compliance with easement restrictions. Researched, obtained, and disseminated information regarding rural historic village designation for unison. Issued quarterly newsletters covering local cultural and agricultural topics. Promoted a sense of community through hosting activities at the historic unison general store including yoga classes, art instruction, and outdoor concerts. Upgraded and maintained the general store.

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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89.5%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 72.6%; rating input score 73
  • 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -23.3%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.08; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -12.6% per year; rating input score 0; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 89.5% of revenue deployed · 72.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $34K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.