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Sonoma Speaker Series

EIN 81-4625504 · Sonoma, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceFair59 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

To foster community education through presentation of non-partisan public lectures on the arts, inspirational individuals and topics, and current events.

Income
$291,452
Spending
$140,140
Spent on programs
96%
Reserves
32.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 57%
Employees
0
Volunteers
32

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 85% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 32.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 52% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 29% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    96% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Fair: 59 out of 100. Higher than 32% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    9 of 9 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. 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 (1)
  1. $134,948 spent. We are pleased to say that The Sonoma Speaker Series has hit its stride! We have been selling out every event, and usually have a waiting list. Our e-blasts now go out to approximately 5,000 people, and the guests come from Sonoma, Marin, and Napa counties.We continue to develop our Board of Directors, and added three new members in 2024. One of those is Dr. David McCuan, Chair of the Political Science Department at Sonoma State University. David is now taking on the role of on-stage interviewer for some of our more political speakers. In addition to McCuan, we also added Ken Wayne. Ken spent the last 32 years at KTVU and KRON 4 TV, working his way up to becoming the main anchor for the evening news. He's interviewed countless political leaders, entertainers, and other news makers, and now conducts interviews for our organization. And lastly, Liz Jenks has joined our Board. Liz built a thriving business, leading a team of 1,000 independent consultants who generated over $4 million in product sales annually. She has also conducted speaking engagements at women's conferences educating women on conscious consumerism.All of our 2024 speakers were top-notch. We started with Anthony Ray Hinton, who survived 30 years on Alabama's death row for a crime he didn't commit, then hosted Marie Yovanovitch, former US Ambassador to Ukraine. In April, NFL player Fred Warner took the stage, captain of our beloved San Francisco 49ers. He was followed by Andrew Yang, founder of the Forward Party, who ran for President of the United States in 2020. Dr. Adam Gazzaley taught us how the brain works and how to avoid getting distracted. Then Carl Bernstein, co-author of All the President's Men, shared how he and Bob Woodward broke the Watergate story in the Washington Post, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. We rounded out the year with Ana Homayoun, author, academic advisor, and career development expert specializing in teens and tweens.Our audiences love the events, our volunteers are well-trained and happy in their jobs, our board members are engaged, and each play a pivotal role in the program's success...and as a Speaker Series, we are trending upward as we continue to attract more well-known and accomplished speakers!

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. 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 September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since April 2017.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. 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 7, 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.