Lyman House Memorial Museum

The information for Lyman House Memorial Museum is as of the organization's most recent filing in June '22. This organization is located in Hilo, HI. It has been in existence for 54 years, following its founding in 1968.

Organization Classification

The IRS classifies organizations according to the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) system. The NTEE system helps the IRS assign a 3-character code to each organization to describe the organization's activities.

The Lyman House Memorial Museum's NTEE code is A50. The "A" tells us that the organization is classified along with Arts, Culture & Humanities. The "50" tells us that the organization is a museum. The NTEE describes museums as organizations that acquire, preserve, research, exhibit, and provide for the educational use of works of art, objects, or artifacts related to various fields such as zoology, biology, history, archaeology, and science and technology. The Lyman House Memorial Museum is dedicated to telling the story of Hawaii, its islands, and its people through educational programs and exhibits for visitors and the community.

Program Areas

Program Area 1: The Road Scholar Program, an educational program covering the islands and people, is included within the general fund. However, due to COVID-19, the Lyman Museum was unable to offer the Road Scholar Program this year.

Program Area 2: The organization focuses on curatorial, interpretive, and educational programs within this program area. These programs are designed to provide a meaningful and educational experience for visitors and the community.

Program Area 3: Within the gift shop, the organization reports the sale of books and other items related to the islands.

Program Area 4: Within the museum exhibits operations, the organization focuses on the management and operation of its various exhibits. This program area specifically deals with the planning, maintenance, and display of exhibits within the museum.

Organization Staffing

Lyman House Memorial Museum is run by Barbara Moir, who is the President and Executive Director of the organization. The museum does not have any paid employees, as indicated by the zero count in the "Employees" and "Employees Paid Over 100k" categories. However, the museum is supported by a dedicated team of 10 volunteers.

Board Governance

Lyman House Memorial Museum appears to be well-governed based on the information provided. The organization has 22 voting members, all of whom are independent, indicating a diverse and unbiased decision-making process. The presence of potential conflicts of interest suggests that the organization acknowledges and addresses this issue, likely through their conflict of interest policy and requirement for disclosure of conflicts. This demonstrates a commitment to transparency and accountability. Furthermore, the fact that the organization has documented board and committee meetings indicates a commitment to record-keeping and transparency in decision-making processes. This documentation allows for the tracking of discussions, decisions, and actions taken, ensuring that the organization operates in a responsible and accountable manner. While the organization does not delegate management to an outside firm, this can be seen as a positive aspect as it allows for direct oversight and control by the board of directors. This can enhance the organization's ability to align its activities with its mission and values. However, there are a few areas where the organization could improve its governance practices. The absence of a written whistleblower policy and a document retention policy may leave the organization vulnerable to potential risks or legal issues. These policies are important for promoting a culture of accountability, protecting whistleblowers, and ensuring the proper retention and disposal of important documents. Overall, Lyman House Memorial Museum demonstrates strong governance practices through its independent board members, documented meetings, conflict of interest policy, and review of leadership and officer salaries. By implementing additional policies such as a whistleblower policy and document retention policy, the organization can further enhance its governance framework and ensure long-term sustainability and success.

Organization Growth

The Lyman House Memorial Museum has experienced both growth and decline over the given time period. Contributions and grants received decreased from $532.0K in 2015 to $297.0K in 2021. However, program service revenue increased from $538.3K in 2015 to $565.4K in 2021. Investment income also saw significant growth, rising from $2.0K in 2015 to $302.4K in 2021. Other revenue increased slightly from $21.9K in 2015 to $27.1K in 2021. Overall, the total revenue of the organization increased from $1.1M in 2015 to $1.2M in 2021. Employee salaries also saw an increase, rising from $376.8K in 2015 to $504.8K in 2021. However, the total number of employees decreased from 14 in 2015 to 0 in 2021, and the total number of volunteers also decreased from 30 in 2015 to 10 in 2021. Despite the decline in contributions and volunteers, the organization has experienced overall growth in revenue and program service revenue.