AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

EIN 72-6019246 · Science & Technology (U035)

What they do

SEE SCHEDULE OTHE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY (AOS) is AN INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION THAT CONNECTS ORNITHOLOGISTS, SCIENCE, and BIRD CONSERVATION BY SUPPORTING SCIENCE THAT ADVANCES THE UNDERSTANDING and CONSERVATION of BIRDS, PROMOTING BROAD ACCESS to ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE, SUPPORTING ORNITHOLOGISTS THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER PATHS, and FOSTERING A WELCOMING, DIVERSE, SUPPORTIVE, and DYNAMIC ORNITHOLOGICAL COMMUNITY.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $78.00 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 leaders27 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

59.66%of revenue went to mission work78.0% of expenses · Program services

0.08%of revenue went to fundraising0.1% of expenses

$76.49spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

16.75%of revenue went to management and office costs21.9% of expenses

$20.03in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

14.0%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 $170,918 for JUDITH SCARL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO). 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$2,263,644

Mission workProgram services$1,350,53059.66% of revenue78.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$379,12116.75% of revenue21.9% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$1,7650.08% of revenue0.1% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$532,22823.51% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$1,731,41676.49% 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: 78.0% mission · 21.9% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 76.49% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 78.0% mission · 21.9% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 118.98% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 77.8% mission · 21.9% management · 0.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 115.78% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 73.0% mission · 26.6% management · 0.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 103.70% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 76.6% mission · 23.0% management · 0.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 123.81% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 82.2% mission · 17.6% management · 0.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 114.95% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 85.0% mission · 14.8% management · 0.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 72.03% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 81.2% mission · 15.2% management · 3.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 15.00% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$2,263,644

Expenses$1,731,416

Annual surplus $532,228 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)$1,350,530 · 78.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$379,121 · 21.9% of expenses

Fundraising$1,765 · 0.1% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$2,263,644

Expenses$1,731,416

Assets$34,686,627

Income$4,195,256

Contributions$317,200

Mission work (program services)$1,350,530

Fundraising$1,765

Grants given$214,850

Average grant$13,428

Management and general$379,121

Stocks and bonds$33,128,617

Accounting fees$71,945

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

JUDITH SCARLEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO · 40 hrs/week $170,918Base $165,940 · Other $4,978

JEN C OWENDIRECTOR · 1 hrs/week $1,000

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)

JUDITH SCARLEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO

JEN C OWENDIRECTOR

JOSE MARIA CARDOSO DA SILVADIRECTOR

SUSHMA REDDYSECRETARY

STEVEN R BEISSINGERPAST PRESIDENT

SARA R MORRISPRESIDENT-ELECT

SAHAS BARVEDIRECTOR

OLIVIA WANGDIRECTOR - TERM

NANCY CHENDIRECTOR

MICHAEL S WEBSTERPAST PRESIDENT

MATTHEW CARLINGTREASURER

LUIS SANDOVALDIRECTOR

KRISTEN COVINODIRECTOR

KATHY MARTINPAST PRESIDENT

JUAN FRANCISCO ORNELASDIRECTOR - TERM

ALLISON SHULTZDIRECTOR

JENNIFER WALSHDIRECTOR - TERM

JACOB DRUCKERDIRECTOR

FAIZA HAFEEZDIRECTOR

EMILY B COHENDIRECTOR - TERM

DAN MENNILLDIRECTOR

DAIZABURO SHIZUKADIRECTOR - TERM

CRISTINA MIYAKIDIRECTOR

COLLEEN HANDELPRESIDENT

CHRISTOPHER BALAKRISHNANDIRECTOR

CAMILA GOMEZDIRECTOR

ANNA CHALFOUNDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1943
Location: 1400 S LAKE SHORE DRIVE, CHICAGO, IL 60605
County: Cook
In care of: JUDITH C SCARL
Primary officer: JUDITH C SCARL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(312) 665-7936

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: OSTROW REISIN BERK & ABRAMS LTD
NTEE classification: Science & Technology (U035)
Grant-giving organization: Yes