Willamette Jazz Society
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 753020474
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2020, Form 990-N 2011
- Location
- Eugene, OR, USA
- Phone
- 4582051030
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Music
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $408,793
- Expenses
- $264,282
- Assets
- $723,987
- Liabilities
- $2,954
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Steve Owen (President)
- Jim Olsen (Vice President)
People named in this filing
- Steve Owen (President)
- Jim Olsen (Vice President)
- Eve McClure (Treasurer)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To foster a local vibrant jazz scene through concerts and educational programs that encourage our community to love, study and perform live jazz.
What it reported doing in 2025
Community Educational Programs: 1. Jazz Station House Band Clinic provides the opportunity for students from all income levels and backgrounds in middle school and high school to connect with professional jazz musicians and educators in a safe and supportive in-school environment. 2. Jazz Station Jam expands the opportunities for all-age and community life-long learners who are interested in developing performance skills, meeting other musicians and receiving instruction to connect Wednesdays at an open jam. 3. Monday Night Big Band is a unique opportunity for local professional and amateur musicians to play together for community audience members once a month. 4. One-Set-Wednesdays affords budding musicians access to perform in front of a supportive audience in a real-life jazz venue environment, often for their very first time as leader of their own gig. 5. The Second Set Jam Sessions series is led by the U of O jazz faculty every other Wednesday. The goal of Second Set is to provide an opportunity for students at all levels. Amateur musicians, professionals, and jazz enthusiasts in the area to come together, connect with the music, and have a great time. 6. Our annual holiday series celebrates the work of Duke Ellington and Bill Strayhorn, exposing Lane County audiences to this uniquely American reinterpretation of a European classic played by professional musicians. This is an excellent opportunity for new and seasoned fans alike to enjoy and learn about American jazz at an accessible price.
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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and liabilities are high compared with assets.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 68
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 72
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 60.5%; rating input score 61
- Program expense ratio: 80.4%; rating input score 80
- Fundraising efficiency: $36.59 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: 35.4%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.74; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 19.6% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 14.2% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 24.3% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 60.5% of revenue deployed · 80.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $212K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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: 3 of 6 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.