Thetford Historical Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
036012814
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Thetford, VT, USA
Phone
8027852068
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$58,634
Expenses
$92,114
Assets
$1,187,027
Liabilities
$273

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Marshall Van Norden (President)
  • Ruth MacKinnon (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Martha Howard (Director): $39,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To collect, preserve, and display information and artifacts connected with the history of Thetford.

What it reported doing in 2025

We had three programs on Forests, co-sponsored with Thetford Libraries and Thetford Conservation Commission. Programs were videotaped. Attendance 250 people. We displayed information at the Thetford Hill Fair, and engaged with 75 residents. We developed a display of Samplers made by residents with ties to Revolutionary-era soldiers from our town and brought this to the Thetford Hill Fair. Our Annual Meeting featured a talk by former VT Attorney General Jeffrey Amestoy speaking about his recent book Winters Time. Attendance 50 people. Members of THS continued to develop and update our walking tour guides. Our Oral History Committee continues interviews with Town elders. Our Fall 2024 Annual Meeting featured a presentation on heirloom fruits and vegetables. Attendance of 60 people.

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

STRONG - 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: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 93.7%; rating input score 94
  • 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -57.1%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 12.89; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 42.3%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.9% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.4% per year; rating input score 0; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 93.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 13 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $86K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $39K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.