Worthington Historical Society Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
310726223
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Worthington, OH, USA
Phone
6148851247
Rating
60
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies & Historic Preservation

Reported finances

Revenue
$180,212
Expenses
$115,192
Assets
$2,483,838
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Katherine LaLonde (Executive Director)
  • Jutta Pegues (Past President/Advisor)
  • Frank Shepherd (Board President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Katherine LaLonde (Executive Director): $37,377 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 Worthington Historical Society (WHS) creates experiences that inspire and promote public interest in Worthington's history. To preserve the city's legacy for future generations, the Society maintains historic properties, interprets collections, and offers educational opportunities. Founded in 1955, WHS celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. It maintains three properties: the Orange Johnson House, the Old Rectory (home to the Doll Museum, offices, Shop, and collections), and the Jeffers Mound. The WHS collects and maintains items directly tied to Worthington's history providing a repository for the community's collective history and materials; objects, photographs, archives, and first person accounts passed down through many mediums that together form a rich, multi-dimensional picture of the city's past. These collections are maintained for the community's benefit.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Society provides educational opportunities to the public to learn about Worthington history. Established programs include Worthington History Days, which is offered for third graders from all of the 13 Worthington elementary schools (public & private). Students are immersed in the city's history through tours and activities at the Orange Johnson House (1811/1819), St. John's Cemetery & Church and a walking tour of the Historic District's commercial strip. Frequent open houses at the Orange Johnson House that illustrate pioneer lifestyles. Additional educational programs are offered throughout the year with walking tours, bus tours, and ghost tours about Worthington history that provide stories about the buildings, events and people who lived in Worthington.

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.

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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 23
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 22.3%; rating input score 22
  • Program expense ratio: 32.4%; rating input score 32
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 26th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • 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: 36.1%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 21.56; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.4%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -25.4% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 22.3% of revenue deployed · 32.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $37K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $37K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 43 of 44 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 32/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.