WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

EIN 04-1988945 · Environment (C420)

What they do

NEW ENGLAND BOTANIC GARDEN AT TOWER HILL CREATES EXPERIENCES WITH PLANTS THAT INSPIRE PEOPLE and IMPROVE THE WORLD.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $67.80 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders32 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

61.83%of revenue went to mission work67.8% of expenses · Program services

11.57%of revenue went to fundraising12.7% of expenses

$91.21spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

17.81%of revenue went to management and office costs19.5% of expenses

$7.50in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

38.9%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $305,678 for GRACE ELTON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$8,680,272

Mission workProgram services$5,367,30161.83% of revenue67.8% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,545,96517.81% of revenue19.5% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$1,004,07511.57% of revenue12.7% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$762,9318.79% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$7,917,34191.21% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 67.8% mission · 19.5% management · 12.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.21% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 64.8% mission · 21.7% management · 13.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 67.99% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 66.5% mission · 20.0% management · 13.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.93% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 65.8% mission · 19.9% management · 14.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 64.22% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 64.7% mission · 20.2% management · 15.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 54.05% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 65.2% mission · 20.3% management · 14.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 93.37% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 67.3% mission · 20.4% management · 12.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 75.59% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 63.5% mission · 22.5% management · 14.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 41.16% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$8,680,272

Expenses$7,917,341

Annual surplus $762,931 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$5,367,301 · 67.8% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,545,965 · 19.5% of expenses

Fundraising$1,004,075 · 12.7% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$8,680,272

Expenses$7,917,341

Assets$59,413,619

Income$20,988,724

Contributions$3,373,397

Mission work (program services)$5,367,301

Fundraising$1,004,075

Management and general$1,545,965

Stocks and bonds$27,066,285

Investing fees$57,298

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

GRACE ELTONCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $305,678Base $281,156 · Other $24,522

THERESA LEECHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $181,890Base $174,917 · Other $6,973

JANE ELLISCHIEF FINANCIAL OPERATING OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $170,664Base $163,400 · Other $7,264

LASHAUN WOODLIFFDIRECTOR OF FACILITIES · 40 hrs/week $137,515Base $129,957 · Other $7,558

MARK RICHARDSONDIR OF STRATEGIC HORT PARTNERSHIPS · 40 hrs/week $129,854Base $111,044 · Other $18,810

MARISSA GALLANTDIRECTOR OF EDUCATION · 40 hrs/week $121,829Base $117,030 · Other $4,799

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (32)

GRACE ELTONCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

THERESA LEECHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

JANE ELLISCHIEF FINANCIAL OPERATING OFFICER

LASHAUN WOODLIFFDIRECTOR OF FACILITIES

MARK RICHARDSONDIR OF STRATEGIC HORT PARTNERSHIPS

MARISSA GALLANTDIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

SAMANTHA MCDONALDTRUSTEE

MARK SHELTONTRUSTEE

MATTHEW MATTUSVICE PRESIDENT

MICHAEL MACHNOWSKIASSISTANT TREASURER

PATRICIA BIGELOWTRUSTEE

RICHARD LEIFSECRETARY

LISA KIRBY GIBBSTRUSTEE

SHANNON WALLTRUSTEE

SHIAMIN MELVILLETRUSTEE

SHIRLEY WILLIAMSTRUSTEE

SUSAN PALATUCCITRUSTEE

TAYLOR BEARDONTRUSTEE

THOMAS HALPINTRUSTEE

ABRAHAM HADDADTRUSTEE

LISA MCDONOUGHVICE PRESIDENT

KENT DUR RUSSELLVICE PRESIDENT

JIM KARADIMOSVICE PRESIDENT

JEAN POTEETETRUSTEE

INDIRA MAINITRUSTEE

GREG BROWNTRUSTEE

GAYLE WEISSPRESIDENT

EMILY WOODTREASURER

DENNIS MURPHYTRUSTEE

CURTIS FALZOITRUSTEE

CATHERINE COLINVAUXVICE PRESIDENT

ASHLYN DONOHUETRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1983
Location: 11 FRENCH DRIVE, BOYLSTON, MA 01505
County: Worcester
In care of: EMILY WOOD
Primary officer: EMILY WOOD, TREASURER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(508) 869-6111

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: April 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BOLLUS LYNCH LLP
NTEE classification: Environment (C420)