ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM INC

EIN 36-6108196 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A500)

What they do

THE MISSION of THE ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM is to EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AS to OUR NATIONS RAILROAD and RAILWAY HISTORY BY COLLECTING, PRESERVING, and RESTORING ROLLING STOCK, ARTIFACTS, STRUCTURES, and RELATED TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT for DISPLAY to THE PUBLIC; EXHIBITING and OPERATING RESTORED ROLLING STOCK and EQUIPMENT ON A DEMONSTRATION RAIL LINE; and COLLECTING, PRESERVING, and MAINTAINING A REFERENCE LIBRARY of PUBLICATIONS, TECHNICAL INFORMATION, and OTHER MATERIALS REGARDING RAILROADS, RAILWAYS, and RELATED FORMS of TRANSPORTATION for RESEARCH and OTHER PURPOSES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $83.60 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 leaders10 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

81.48%of revenue went to mission work83.6% of expenses · Program services

3.99%of revenue went to fundraising4.1% of expenses

$97.51spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

12.04%of revenue went to management and office costs12.3% of expenses

$8.00in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

42.9%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 $71,240 for DAVID DIAMOND (DIRECTOR/GM FACILITIES (THRU MAR 2025)). 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$2,656,437

Mission workProgram services$2,164,48181.48% of revenue83.6% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$319,71812.04% of revenue12.3% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$106,0243.99% of revenue4.1% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$66,2142.49% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$2,590,22397.51% 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: 83.6% mission · 12.3% management · 4.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.51% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 85.3% mission · 13.1% management · 1.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.93% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 89.1% mission · 10.4% management · 0.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 61.55% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 85.7% mission · 13.8% management · 0.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 71.76% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 87.1% mission · 12.6% management · 0.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 39.28% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 80.0% mission · 19.3% management · 0.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 82.09% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 88.5% mission · 10.6% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 85.31% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 88.4% mission · 9.6% management · 2.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.56% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$2,656,437

Expenses$2,590,223

Annual surplus $66,214 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)$2,164,481 · 83.6% of expenses

Management and office costs$319,718 · 12.3% of expenses

Fundraising$106,024 · 4.1% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$2,656,437

Expenses$2,590,223

Assets$20,731,179

Income$8,360,187

Contributions$1,139,918

Mission work (program services)$2,164,481

Fundraising$106,024

Management and general$319,718

Stocks and bonds$9,113,025

Accounting fees$33,396

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

DAVID DIAMONDDIRECTOR/GM FACILITIES (THRU MAR 2025) · 10 hrs/week $71,240Base $68,640 · Other $2,600

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 (10)

DAVID DIAMONDDIRECTOR/GM FACILITIES (THRU MAR 2025)

CHRIS CHASIN1ST VICE PRESIDENT

CONN MCCARTHYDIRECTOR

LEE EVANSDIRECTOR

MARCUS RUEFPRESIDENT

NICHOLAS ESPEVIKDIRECTOR

NICK KALLASEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

NIGEL BENNETTTREASURER

ROBERT OLSONDIRECTOR

ZACHARY EHLERS2ND VICE PRESIDENT

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1957
Location: PO BOX 427, UNION, IL 60180
County: McHenry
In care of: NIGEL BENNETT
Primary officer: NIGEL BENNETT, TREASURER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(815) 923-4391

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: October 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: WIPFLI ADVISORY LLC
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A500)