Upper Midwest Booksellers Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
363381963
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2015
Location
Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone
6122086279
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$605,748
Expenses
$679,169
Assets
$322,950
Liabilities
$24,492

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Carrie Obry 2024 (Executive Director)
  • Grace Hagen current (Executive Director)
  • Melissa McAllister (President)
  • Carrie Koepke (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Carrie Obry 2024 (Executive Director): $72,672 total reported compensation
  • Grace Hagen current (Executive Director): $34,968 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Midwest Independent Booksellers Association advances the success of independent booksellers, fosters partnerships that create a strong bookselling and publishing community, and celebrates the vital literary culture of our region by hosting programs that strengthen bookstores and connect them to colleagues for learning and marketing purposes.

What it reported doing in 2024

Heartland Fall Forum Hosted premiere gathering place for those interested in doing business with independent bookstores throughout the Midwest. The Association hosted this event jointly with Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association. The two organizations split on any net income or loss from the event Midwest 60, Great Lakes 40. We represent 12 states and over 700 independent bookstores, from the Dakotas to Ohio, from the bootheel of Missouri to the tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and all states in between. We provide a rich environment for anyone allied to the book industry to meet one another, network, introduce authors, promote new titles, place orders, and learn crucial skills from one another to keep independent bookselling strong. We offer a busy show floor, a wide range of author events, and various formats of practical and inspiring education.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 98% 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

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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -12.1%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.48; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.8%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.3% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.5% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $679K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $73K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.