VESTERHEIM NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN MUSEUM Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

VESTERHEIM NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN MUSEUM

EIN 42-6081638 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A500)

What they do

BUILDING COMMUNITY and CREATING EXPERIENCES INSPIRED BY NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN STORIES and FOLK ART. THE MUSEUM is A NATIONAL TREASURE THAT EXPLORES THE DIVERSITY of AMERICAN IMMIGRATION THROUGH THE LENS of NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, SHOWCASES THE BEST IN HISTORIC and CONTEMPORARY NORWEGIAN FOLK and FINE ARTS, and PRESERVES LIVING TRADITIONS THROUGH CLASSES IN NORWEGIAN CULTURE and FOLK ART, INCLUDING ROSEMALING (DECORATIVE PAINTING), WOODWORKING, KNIFEMAKING, METALWORKING, TRADITIONAL FOOD WAYS, and TEXTILE ARTS.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $55.90 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 leaders27 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

51.88%of revenue went to mission work55.9% of expenses · Program services

13.61%of revenue went to fundraising14.7% of expenses

$92.87spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

27.38%of revenue went to management and office costs29.5% of expenses

$7.06in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

50.1%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 $141,141 for JOHNSON CHRIS (PRESIDENT). 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$4,678,035

Mission workProgram services$2,427,11151.88% of revenue55.9% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,280,75727.38% of revenue29.5% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$636,72513.61% of revenue14.7% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$333,4427.13% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$4,344,59392.87% 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: 55.9% mission · 29.5% management · 14.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.87% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 44.9% mission · 35.7% management · 19.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 76.32% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 46.9% mission · 28.8% management · 24.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 60.15% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 44.5% mission · 30.8% management · 24.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 39.28% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 34.7% mission · 33.8% management · 31.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 136.24% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 45.9% mission · 22.9% management · 31.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 103.95% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 56.6% mission · 27.6% management · 15.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 52.83% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 53.9% mission · 32.2% management · 13.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.07% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$4,678,035

Expenses$4,344,593

Annual surplus $333,442 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)$2,427,111 · 55.9% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,280,757 · 29.5% of expenses

Fundraising$636,725 · 14.7% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$4,678,035

Expenses$4,344,593

Assets$30,677,256

Income$8,104,774

Contributions$2,345,098

Mission work (program services)$2,427,111

Fundraising$636,725

Management and general$1,280,757

Stocks and bonds$12,178,640

Accounting fees$28,397

Investing fees$58,380

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

JOHNSON CHRISPRESIDENT · 40 hrs/week $141,141Base $134,763 · Other $6,378

DUBE SITHABILECFO/TREASURER · 40 hrs/week $115,228Base $115,000 · Other $228

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 (27)

JOHNSON CHRISPRESIDENT

DUBE SITHABILECFO/TREASURER

KEMP JANETRUSTEE

TRYGSTAD CRAIGVICE CHAIR

SORENSON RUTHTRUSTEE

SCHULTZ RUTHTRUSTEE

RUDE BRIANCHAIR

REITAN RACHELTRUSTEE

PLATOU LIZSECRETARY

NORDAN KENNETHTRUSTEE

NIELSON MARTHA GESMETRUSTEE

NICHOLS BJTRUSTEE

MILLER HEATHERTRUSTEE

MIES KIRKTRUSTEE

LARSON BRIANTRUSTEE

KVENVOLD GAYLETRUSTEE

ALSAKER DANTRUSTEE

JOHNSON MARENTRUSTEE

HOVDEN CHARISTRUSTEE

HANSON LOUISETRUSTEE

FRETHEIM DANIELTRUSTEE

ESPINOSA KARITRUSTEE

ERDMAN LINDSAYTRUSTEE

DAHL JANSENTRUSTEE

BOMAN GREGTRUSTEE

BIRKLAND CAROLTRUSTEE

BARNETTKATHERINE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1965
Location: PO BOX 379, DECORAH, IA 52101-0379
County: Winneshiek
In care of: CHRIS JOHNSON
Primary officer: CHRIS JOHNSON, PRESIDENT/CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(563) 382-9681

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A500)