BESSER MUSEUM FOR NORTHEAST MICHIGAN INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

BESSER MUSEUM FOR NORTHEAST MICHIGAN INC

EIN 38-6111671 · Visual Arts (A40)

What they do

THE BESSER MUSEUM for NE MICHIGAN SHALL BE A COMMUNITY RESOURCE THAT SERVES to INSPIRE CURIOSITY, FOSTER COMMUNITY PRIDE, and CULTIVATE PERSONAL LEGACY. THE MUSEUM SHALL THROUGH DISCOVERY, PRESERVATION, EDUCATION and STEWARDSHIP BE AN INSTITUTION DEDICATED to SERVING THE PUBLIC of ALL AGES and ABILITIES IN THE ART, HISTORY, and SCIENCE of NORTHEAST MICHIGAN. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO MAINTAINS THE ONLY WORKING PLANETARIUM IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $68.00 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 leaders13 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

32.24%of revenue went to mission work68.0% of expenses · Program services

2.05%of revenue went to fundraising4.3% of expenses

$47.43spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

13.14%of revenue went to management and office costs27.7% of expenses

$5.78in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

95.7%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 $81,465 for CHRISTINE WITULSKI (EXECUTIVE DI). 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$1,433,782

Mission workProgram services$462,27332.24% of revenue68.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$188,45613.14% of revenue27.7% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$29,3632.05% of revenue4.3% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$753,69052.57% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$680,09247.43% 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: 68.0% mission · 27.7% management · 4.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 47.43% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 70.1% mission · 24.7% management · 5.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 55.82% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 68.4% mission · 26.6% management · 5.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 53.38% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 72.6% mission · 23.0% management · 4.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.78% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 76.3% mission · 20.3% management · 3.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 112.36% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 73.8% mission · 22.6% management · 3.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 119.08% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 74.7% mission · 21.8% management · 3.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 140.63% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 77.1% mission · 19.2% management · 3.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 112.91% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$1,433,782

Expenses$680,092

Annual surplus $753,690 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)$462,273 · 68.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$188,456 · 27.7% of expenses

Fundraising$29,363 · 4.3% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$1,433,782

Expenses$680,092

Assets$3,927,663

Income$1,446,128

Contributions$1,372,480

Mission work (program services)$462,273

Fundraising$29,363

Management and general$188,456

Accounting fees$51,414

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

CHRISTINE WITULSKIEXECUTIVE DI · 40 hrs/week $81,465Base $68,836 · Other $12,629

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 (13)

CHRISTINE WITULSKIEXECUTIVE DI

ANN DIAMONDTRUSTEE

ASHLEY PETERSONVICE PRESIDE

BEACH HALLTRUSTEE

BRIAN BARTOSHTRUSTEE

DAN FLORIPTRUSTEE

GARY GORENTRUSTEE

JIM JOHNSONSECRETARY

JON GOUGEONTRUSTEE

LINDA BAKERTRUSTEE

MIKE BEAULACPRESIDENT

SARA WINTERTRUSTEE

SUE STENDERTREASURER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1966
Location: 491 JOHNSON ST, ALPENA, MI 49707-1433
County: Alpena
In care of: SUE STENDER
Primary officer: SUE STENDER, TREASURER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(989) 356-2202

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BOLDREY SENCHUK ROULEAU & WILLIAMS CPAS
NTEE classification: Visual Arts (A40)
IRS tax category: Visual Arts