Touchstone Theatre
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 232073331
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2021
- Location
- Bethlehem, PA, USA
- Phone
- 6108671689
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Theater
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $620,243
- Expenses
- $543,924
- Assets
- $878,342
- Liabilities
- $24,139
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ERNIE THOMAS STIEGLER (PRESIDENT)
- DIANE ELLIOTT ESQ (VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- LISA JORDAN (EX OFFICIO, NON-VOTING): $60,000 total reported compensation
- JAMES JORDAN (EX OFFICIO): $52,622 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Founded in 1981, touchstone theatre is a professional not-for-profit theatre dedicated to the creation of original work. At its center is a resident ensemble of theatre artists rooted in the local community of bethlehem, the greater lehigh valley of Pennsylvania, and the international community of ensemble theatres.the ensemble: 1) creates original theatre and re-imagines select texts through a heightened theatrical vocabulary. 2) tours and presents original and ensemble-created works. 3) offers educational programs that inspire students of any age to discover their unique creative voice and provide high quality training to the next generation of theatre artists. 4) transforms audiences through community-based theatrical productions and community-building projects.
What it reported doing in 2024
Production: touchstone is a professional, ensemble-based theatre offering a season of original productions created by its resident ensemble of artists, as well as presenting new work by visiting guest artists. The 2024-25 season featured nine unique performances, the majority of which were world premieres. Touchstone offers a "pay-what-you-will" ticket option, opening up the theater's unique programming to audiences of all income levels. Community-building programs are regularly produced and focus on the local community's stresses and successes to illuminate the human condition. The theatre annually produces the arts-based, community-driven festival unbound, with the majority of its events being free to the public. The theatre also tours select productions to schools, community centers, theaters, and festivals.
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 97% 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 94
- Sustainability: 57
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.8%; rating input score 73
- Program expense ratio: 83.2%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $9.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 12.3%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.61; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 20.7%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 72.8% of revenue deployed · 83.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $453K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $60K · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 36/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.