Vocalessence

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
411363849
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Phone
6125471451
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Music

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,038,892
Expenses
$2,194,897
Assets
$8,715,225
Liabilities
$154,569

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

Leadership & pay

38 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CAROLINA MARANON-COBOS (PRESIDENT)
  • DANIEL FERNELIUS (PRESIDENT-ELECT)
  • VALTON HENDERSON (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • AMY WIELUNSKI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, END OF YEAR)
  • MARY ANN AUFDERHEIDE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, START OF YEAR)

Highest reported compensation

  • PHILIP BRUNELLE (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): $166,128 total reported compensation
  • G PHILLIP SHOULTZ III (ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTO): $101,256 total reported compensation
  • AMY WIELUNSKI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, END OF YEAR): $96,457 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Vocalessence champions choral music of all genres, celebrating the vocal experience through innovative performances commissioning of new music, and engaging with diverse constituencies.

What it reported doing in 2024

Learning and engagement programs - our learning and engagement programs are focused in several areas. Witness celebrates african american culture and music, reaching 3,370 students in 42 schools throughout the greater twin cities metro area and engaging the vocalessence singers and 8 witness teaching artists trained in music, dance, and theater. The cantare program connects mexican composers with twin cities metro area schools where participants learn about mexican culture and music through rehearsing and performing new choral works. Teaching resources and videos are also made available on a teachers' portal on the vocalessence website. Our vintage voices choirs are in three locations and engaged 110 older adults through six 13-week sessions of creating, rehearsing, and performing a program of music, poetry, and personal reflections presented to audiences totalling 680 people. The vocalessence singers of this age (sota) brings together 45 teenage students of diverse cultural backgrounds from 15 high schools in minneapolis, st. Paul, st. Louis park, robbinsdale, and maplewood. 40 weekly rehearsals involve instruction in musicianship, movement, choreography, drama, lyrics, and an introduction to multiple musical styles through guest presenters. Sota performed on all vocalessence artistic series concerts as well 10 additional community performances in the twin cities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 most voting board members are independent. The filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 64
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.2%; rating input score 99
  • Program expense ratio: 77.8%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.5 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -7.7%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.97; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.6%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.2% of revenue deployed · 77.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 32 of 32 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $166K · 38 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.