Winchester Community Music School Trust

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
046510295
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Winchester, MA, USA
Phone
7817212950
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,011,096
Expenses
$2,468,245
Assets
$11,256,324
Liabilities
$1,545,010

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LAURIE RUSSELL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • LAURIE RUSSELL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $147,502 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT PALMER (BUSINESS MANAGER): $48,091 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 mission of winchester community music school is to provide outstanding and diverse musical education and performance, accessible to all, in winchester, neighboring communities, and beyond.

What it reported doing in 2024

Wcms is a vibrant regional hub for world-class music education and programming. Each year we serve more than 900 students of all ages, interests, and skill levels, from over 30 towns. Our approach is individualized, intentional, and immersive. We believe that a comprehensive approach develops strong musical competencies, and cultivates life skills such as mindfulness, confidence, persistence, and achievement. We care deeply about expert instruction and quality programming, and work hard to establish supportive and inspiring relationships. Our faculty of 60 performing artists offer private lessons in a wide range of instruments and voice. New students can enroll at any time and can augment their music study with lessons in ensembles, group classes, and lessons in composition, song writing, recording/production, or music theory.

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 96% 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 most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 43.5%; rating input score 44
  • Program expense ratio: 74.1%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $19.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 38.5%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.56; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.9%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 43.5% of revenue deployed · 74.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $148K · 20 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $835K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 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: Mission deployment rate scored 44/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 59/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.