The Valley Winds Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
472444031
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2024
Location
Amherst, MA, USA
Phone
4438483223
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Music Groups, Bands, Ensembles

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$19,378
Expenses
$10,218
Assets
$60,541
Liabilities
$32,850

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • STEVE EHRLER (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • STEVE EHRLER (PRESIDENT)
  • JAN MURPHY (TREASURER)
  • MEGHAN MACFADDEN (SECRETARY)

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

Overview

Mission

Enhance the performance of quality wind band music, on a non-profit basis; deliver accessible and enjoyable performances to the pioneer valley cummunity; engage in educational outreach to foster the continued growth of the performance arts in the community.

What it reported doing in 2024

The valley winds launched a musical composition publishing effort aimed at supporting disadvantaged composers. By publishing wind ensemble music from latin american and mexican composers, this initiative seeks to diversify and enrich the repertoire while celebrating cultural heritage. It delivers engaging performances to a wider audience and offers valuable educational opportunities for students and musicians in the community. With growing diversity in local schools and a need for representative music, this effort fills an important gap, ensuring lasting impact and fostering cross- cultural collaboration. The valley winds awards contracts for works from underrepresented composers and pays out thousands in royalties.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 86% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 41.7%; rating input score 42
  • Program expense ratio: 79.1%; rating input score 79

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 47.3%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.92; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.54; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 29.4%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 31.2% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 41.7% of revenue deployed · 79.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments · $8K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 8 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 42/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.