National Association for Interpretation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 123 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
TO INSPIRE LEADERSHIP AND EXCELLENCE TO ADVANCE HERITAGE INTERPRETATION AS A PROFESSION.
- Income
- $2.0 million
- Spending
- $2.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- -3.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 93%
- Employees
- 9
- Volunteers
- 250
- Highest pay
- $131,494, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 29 out of 100.
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 34% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 7% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 2% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 123 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 87 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2517 of 17 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
9 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 (4)
- $685,317 spent. CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS: THE NAI NATIONAL CONFERENCE IS AN ANNUAL EVENT ATTRACTING ABOUT 600 PARTICIPANTS. THE NAI NATIONAL CONFERENCE USUALLY OCCURS OVER FOUR DAYS, WITH ONE ADDITIONAL DAY FOR FIELD TRIPS, IN NOVEMBER OR EARLY DECEMBER. IN NOVEMBER 2024, THE CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IS HELD IN THE SPRING EVERY OTHER YEAR, WITH ROUGHLY 30 TO 50 PARTICIPANTS. IN MARCH 2025, NAI HELD AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN MOROCCO. NAI'S REGIONS AND SECTIONS HOLD IN-PERSON AND ONLINE EVENTS.
- $692,891 spent. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: NAI HOLDS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING COURSES HOSTED BY "LEAD TRAINERS" DESIGNATED BY THE ORGANIZATION. THESE COURSES INCLUDE TRAIN-THE-TRAINER COURSES, COACHING INTERPRETERS, AND THE PROCESS OF INTERPRETIVE PLANNING. ADDITIONALLY, NAI-SANCTIONED TRAINERS CONDUCT ROUGHLY 200 CERTIFICATE COURSES FOR MORE THAN 3,000 ATTENDEES FOR INTERPRETIVE GUIDES AND HOSTS. NAI ALSO HOSTS MONTHLY WEBINARS AND OFFERS ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE COURSES.
- $348,174 spent. MEMBERSHIP: MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES ROUGHLY 5,500 MEMBERS IN APPROXIMATELY 30 COUNTRIES. MEMBER SERVICES INCLUDE ACCESS TO MEMBER-ONLY ONLINE RESOURCES, LEGACY MAGAZINE, THE ONLINE INTERPRETER'S FORUM, AND DISCOUNTS ON NETWORKING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
- MERCHANDISE SALES AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. 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)(3) charitable organization.
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 November 6, 2026.
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 October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 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 August 1989.
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 November 4, 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.