Greater Rochester Visitors Association Inc
Public records raise at least one point you should look into before giving.
What it says it does
To advocate for appropriate destination development, investment, and increased community awareness, appreciation and support for the visitor industry.
- Income
- $4.7 million
- Spending
- $4.7 million
- Employees
- 36
- Volunteers
- 108
- Highest pay
- $322,193, president/ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. How we rate
Financial health
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. How we rate
Governance
This return does not answer enough of the governance questions to score.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- Convention/Meeting Sales and Services:Convention Sales and Services is responsible for initiating direct sales contact with associations, organizations and individuals throughout the United States who can choose Monroe County as a site location for meetings and conventions. Professional staff works to familiarize meeting planners about the Greater Rochester features and benefits that support a site choice for conventions, meetings, tradeshows and events. Sales programs include personal sales, tradeshows exhibition, direct marketing, familiarization tours, sales missions and collaborative promotions with the Greater Rochester hospitality industry and other NYS destinations.(Continued on Schedule O)The department routinely evaluates Greater Rochester's resources relative to competitive destinations and uses the information to strengthen the local product and enhance bid proposals for group business.A vital component of successful convention marketing is the endorsement of local and regional residents who are members of, or affiliated with, targeted organizations. The sales and marketing process extends to local individuals in a way that cultivates their support of a bid for Monroe County to be a meeting site for a specific organization.An extensive array of convention services are offered during the sales process and provided to organizations prior to and during their stay in Monroe County. These services enhance the delegates' overall experience and result in higher attendance, lengthened duration of stay and an increase per person visitor expenditures.In 2025, the Convention Sales and Services Division: - Booked meeting and convention business that collectively resulted in 63,696 delegates - Created 42,299 nights worth of future business for Monroe County lodging facilities - Sent 147 service requests to members for booked business opportunities - Distributed 80,663 pieces of Rochester promotional material to event delegates
- Tourism/Leisure Marketing: Tourism marketing and development attracts out-of-town leisure visitors who spend time and money at Monroe County attractions, cultural institutions, festivals and events, and in recreational pursuits. The leisure market creates the most personal impressions of the area because of how visitors spend their time and what they experience while here. Monroe County has significant appeal to leisure travelers and is geographically located to capitalize on its internationally known attractions.(Continued on Schedule O)GRVA's tourism and marketing division develops and implements advertising programs, collateral distribution systems, resource enhancement programs, market promotions, and travel-trade partnerships that reach broad tourism markets and special interest groups. Many programs are developed in collaboration with GRVA member organizations and with regional destination marketing partners including entities in the Finger Lakes region and Erie Canal Corridor.Target markets include:- A major focus for year-round visitation encompassing markets within a 250-mile radius including Canadian populations, attracted through digital, print, connected tv, and ooh tactics. - Family travelers from the downstate region of New York state, I-81 corridor in Pennsylvania, and surrounding drive-in markets including western Massachusetts, Vermont, and Cleveland, Ohio. These visitors are attracted through a major campaign that includes digital, print, and connect tv.- Travelers who are already in, or planning visits to nearby regions with an ability to include our county in their travels- International visitors who are traveling by ground transportation from New York City to Niagara Falls, attracted through a program called Wine, Water, and Wonders of New York State in conjunction with Corning Museum of Glass, Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, Destination Niagara USA, Visit Ithaca, Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, Hudson Valley Tourism, Discover Long Island, and Delta Air Lines- Group tour/travel trade, attracted through direct sales programs and with the help of packaged visits that include nearby attractions, wineries, etc.- Encouraging local residents to invite their families and friendsGRVA estimates that a combined 2 million visitors came from at least 50 miles away, across all tourism segments (leisure, business-conventions and sporting event, and international) in 2024. Specific tracking of programs is difficult and research is generally accomplished with regional and state partners. Locally, anecdotal information provided by attractions, weekend and holiday hotel occupancy, comparative event attendance, and industry data tools is largely the source used to measure tourism and related expenditures. Activity indexes are used as a reliable source to help determine leisure interest and resulting business
- Rochester NY Sports Commission:The Sports Commission initiates the direct sales contact with event holders throughout the United States, who can choose Monroe County as a location for a future event. All sales, marketing and administrative tasks are the full responsibility of the Visit Rochester sales department. This department works diligently to promote Monroe County through its sports marketing efforts. Programs include working with local facilities, tradeshows, direct marketing, familiarization tours and sales missions. The department highlights the important impact athletics have on our community's economic vitality and quality of life.(Continued on Schedule O)An important component to the success of our events is our relationship with the facilities and universities, that are able to host a sporting event. There is a very heavy lift involved in hosting events and with Visit Rochester's resources, we are able to work together to bring sports events to Monroe County. The local/regional residents, who run events and/or are affiliated with targeted sport events are also an important component on our success. These individuals can extend the sales efforts by cultivating their support for the bid process for Monroe County.In 2025, the Sports Commission: - Booked tournament and sports-related event business that collectively resulted in 168,606 delegates - Created 57,366 trackable room nights worth of future business for Monroe County lodging facilities
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(6) business league.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Caution.
The IRS master file records contributions to this 501(c)(6) business league as not deductible.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since January 1964.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.