THE TRUSTEES OF THE NEW YORK SOCIETY LIBRARY Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE TRUSTEES OF THE NEW YORK SOCIETY LIBRARY

EIN 13-1635307 · Libraries (B70)

What they do

THE LIBRARY WAS FOUNDED IN 1754 BY THE NEW YORK SOCIETY, (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)A CIVIC-MINDED GROUP FORMED IN THE BELIEF THAT THE AVAILABILITY of BOOKS WOULD HELP THE CITY of NEW YORK to PROSPER.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $77.20 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 leaders25 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

9.88%of revenue went to mission work77.2% of expenses · Program services

1.18%of revenue went to fundraising9.2% of expenses

$12.80spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

1.74%of revenue went to management and office costs13.6% of expenses

$15.60in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

10.8%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 $175,539 for CAROLYN WATERS (HEAD LIBRARIAN). 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$31,414,155

Mission workProgram services$3,103,7469.88% of revenue77.2% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$547,9491.74% of revenue13.6% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$369,3541.18% of revenue9.2% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$27,393,10687.20% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$4,021,04912.80% 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: 77.2% mission · 13.6% management · 9.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 12.80% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 74.8% mission · 15.4% management · 9.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 106.10% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 75.5% mission · 15.0% management · 9.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.39% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 75.7% mission · 15.0% management · 9.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 47.68% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 79.8% mission · 15.5% management · 4.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 79.93% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 79.3% mission · 13.9% management · 6.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 77.41% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 77.3% mission · 13.9% management · 8.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.82% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 79.0% mission · 12.3% management · 8.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 84.41% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$31,414,155

Expenses$4,021,049

Annual surplus $27,393,106 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)$3,103,746 · 77.2% of expenses

Management and office costs$547,949 · 13.6% of expenses

Fundraising$369,354 · 9.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$31,414,155

Expenses$4,021,049

Assets$62,744,093

Income$75,602,650

Contributions$3,403,389

Mission work (program services)$3,103,746

Fundraising$369,354

Management and general$547,949

Stocks and bonds$56,368,918

Accounting fees$29,694

Investing fees$222,962

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

CAROLYN WATERSHEAD LIBRARIAN · 40 hrs/week $175,539Base $168,132 · Other $7,407

SARA E HOLLIDAYHEAD OF EVENTS · 40 hrs/week $148,502Base $114,052 · Other $34,450

CHRISTOPHER HENRYBUILDING SUPERINTENDENT · 40 hrs/week $141,000Base $102,695 · Other $38,305

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 (25)

CAROLYN WATERSHEAD LIBRARIAN

SARA E HOLLIDAYHEAD OF EVENTS

CHRISTOPHER HENRYBUILDING SUPERINTENDENT

GRETCHEN RUBINBOARD MEMBER

WILLIAM G BARDELBOARD MEMBER

WARREN ST JOHNBOARD MEMBER

TIMOTHY N WALLACHTREASURER

THEODORE C ROGERSBOARD MEMBER

SUSAN ROBBINSSECRETARY

ROBERT A CAROBOARD MEMBER

RALPH S BROWN JRBOARD MEMBER

LISA W HESSBOARD MEMBER

JOHN SCHWOLSKYBOARD MEMBER

JEANNETTE WATSON SANGERBOARD MEMBER

JEAN PARKER PHIFERBOARD MEMBER

ADA PELUSOBOARD MEMBER

GEORGE LK FRELINGHUYSENCHAIR

FRANCESCA STANFILLBOARD MEMBER

EMILY MADISONBOARD MEMBER

ELLIOT S OROLBOARD MEMBER

ELLEN M ISEMANBOARD MEMBER

CHARLES G BERRYBOARD MEMBER

CAROL COLLINS MALONEBOARD MEMBER

BYRON BELLBOARD MEMBER

ADRIENNE INGRUMBOARD MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1934
Location: 53 E 79TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10075-0250
County: New York
In care of: CAROLYN WATERS
Primary officer: CAROLYN WATERS, HEAD LIBRARIAN

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailreference@nysoclib.org Phone(212) 288-6900

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: LUTZ AND CARR CPAS LLP
NTEE classification: Libraries (B70)
IRS tax category: Libraries