YW Boston

Legal name: Young Women's Christian Association of Boston Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042103548
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2020
Location
Boston, MA, United States
Phone
(617) 585-5400
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Young Men's or Women's Associations
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$74,751
Expenses
$4,275,350
Assets
$37,616,901
Liabilities
$1,374,366

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ABA TAYLOR (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • ANOUSKA BHATTACHARYYA (VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS)
  • ROBIN WHITNEY (VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENT)
  • SAMANTHA CALERO (VICE PRESIDENT OF PEOPLE & CULTURE)
  • SHEERA BORNSTEIN (VICE PRESIDENT OF ENGAGEMENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ROBIN WHITNEY (VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENT): $173,984 total reported compensation
  • SAMANTHA CALERO (VICE PRESIDENT OF PEOPLE & CULTURE): $172,099 total reported compensation
  • ABA TAYLOR (PRESIDENT & CEO): $171,053 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Transforming Boston through more inclusive and diverse environments YW Boston helps individuals and organizations transform policies, practices, attitudes, and behaviors with the goal of creating more inclusive environments where women, people of color, and especially women of color can succeed. As the first YWCA in the nation, we are proud of our history as leaders in the causes of eliminating racism and empowering women. On March 3, 1866, 30 women in Boston established the first YWCA in the United States, with a mission to support young working women’s overall well-being. What followed has been over 150 years of YWCA Boston catalyzing unprecedented advances in women’s empowerment and racial and social justice in the city. What’s in a name? We are a proud member of YWCA USA, but that doesn’t mean we have a gym, or Zumba on Friday nights. Our work in Boston creates transformative...

What it reported doing in 2025

Dei services (including lead boston and inclusion boston programs): engages organizations in long-term partnerships to create unique solutions to a variety of diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges. Using a customized and measurable change management process and range of training and services, yw boston's dei services help organizations create the necessary cultural shifts that will support inclusive policies and practices. Our evidence-based approach builds internal capacity and a plan for cultural change while supporting organizations every step of the way.

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 99% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 70.9%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • 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: 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: 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: -5,619.5%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.8; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 27.7%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -8.4% per year; rating input score 0; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 70.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $174K · 25 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.