THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF OAK PARK AND RIVER FOREST Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF OAK PARK AND RIVER FOREST

EIN 23-7131704 · Education (B)

What they do

THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY of OAK PARK and RIVER FOREST is A 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION FOUNDED for EDUCATIONAL and CHARITABLE PURPOSES. THE MISSION STATEMENT SUMMARIZES THE PURPOSE of THE ORGANIZATION: to BRING TOGETHER PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN OAK PARK and RIVER FOREST; to STUDY and PROVIDE MEANS and FACILITIES for THE STUDY of THE HISTORY of OAK PARK and RIVER FOREST ENVIRONS; to ACQUIRE, COLLECT, PRESERVE and DISPLAY MATERIALS and LITERATURE RELEVANT to THE HISTORY of THE OAK PARK and RIVER FOREST AREA; to ASSIST IN THE DESIGNATION and PRESERVATION of BUILDINGS, MONUMENTS, and OTHER SITES SIGNIFICANT to THE HISTORY of THE AREA;TO PUBLISH and DISSEMINATE MATERIALS and INFORMATION RELATIVE to THE HISTORY of THE AREA; to OPERATE AN ARCHIVE, LIBRARY and MUSEUM.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $73.40 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 leaders14 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

79.56%of revenue went to mission work73.4% of expenses · Program services

4.19%of revenue went to fundraising3.9% of expenses

$108.42spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

24.67%of revenue went to management and office costs22.8% of expenses

$3.88in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

87.8%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.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $23,492 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $85,680 for FRANK LIPO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 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$279,094

Mission workProgram services$222,04679.56% of revenue73.4% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$68,85224.67% of revenue22.8% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$11,6884.19% of revenue3.9% of expenses

Total expenses$302,586108.42% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

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: 73.4% mission · 22.8% management · 3.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 108.42% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 76.6% mission · 23.0% management · 0.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 109.60% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 75.4% mission · 24.1% management · 0.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 114.05% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 76.2% mission · 23.5% management · 0.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 109.17% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 75.8% mission · 24.2% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 131.73% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 74.5% mission · 18.7% management · 6.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 148.55% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 74.7% mission · 18.9% management · 6.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 212.30% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 69.7% mission · 22.8% management · 7.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 192.56% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$279,094

Expenses$302,586

Annual shortfall $23,492 Expenses were higher than revenue 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)$222,046 · 73.4% of expenses

Management and office costs$68,852 · 22.8% of expenses

Fundraising$11,688 · 3.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$279,094

Expenses$302,586

Assets$1,172,981

Income$281,148

Contributions$244,921

Mission work (program services)$222,046

Fundraising$11,688

Management and general$68,852

Stocks and bonds$68,541

Accounting fees$3,850

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

FRANK LIPOEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $85,680

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 (14)

FRANK LIPOEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CLYDE WATKINSDIRECTOR

FRAN KNECHELPRESIDENT

FRANK FIORITODIRECTOR

GENEVIEVE JONESDIRECTOR

JACK NORTONTREASURER

JAMES GROGANDIRECTOR

JENNIE STEVENSDIRECTOR

JUANTA GRIFFINDIRECTOR

LIESL ORENICDIRECTOR

MARY BOYARISSECRETARY

NANCY LYNNDIRECTOR

TY MAYBERRYDIRECTOR

WENDY DANIELSVICE PRESIDENT

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1971
Location: PO BOX 771, OAK PARK, IL 60303-0771
County: Cook
In care of: FRAN KNECHEL
Primary officer: FRAN KNECHEL, PRESIDENT

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailoprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net Phone(708) 848-6755

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: May 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: SASSETTI LLC
NTEE classification: Education (B)
IRS tax category: Education