Lilac Bloomsday Association

The information for Lilac Bloomsday Association is as of the organization's most recent filing in July 2020. This organization is located in Spokane, WA. It has been in existence for 22 years, following its founding in 1998.

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 Lilac Bloomsday Association's NTEE code is N60. The "N" tells us that the organization is classified along with Recreation & Sports. The "60" tells us that the organization is an Amateur Sports organization. The NTEE describes Amateur Sports organizations as those that provide opportunities for people of all ages to learn, become competitive in and enjoy the organized recreational activity, sport or game of their choice. These programs may provide individual or team coaching assistance or instruction, access to equipment and facilities, and uniforms, if necessary.

Every organization is also governed by a specific section of the Internal Revenue Code. The most common type is a 501(c)(3) organization. However, there are actually 29 different types of organizations that are identified by the Internal Revenue Code. This organization happens to be a 501(c)(3) organization. The IRS describes these organizations as those engaged in Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Public Safety, Amateur Sports, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals work.

Perhaps the most accurate way to get a sense of what the organization hopes to achieve is by looking at its mission. The mission of the Lilac Bloomsday Association is to promote fitness and to promote national and international sports competition.

Program Areas

Program Area 1: The Lilac Bloomsday Run, a world-class road race featuring international competition, is typically held the first Sunday in May each year. In 2020, due to COVID-19, the race was held virtually in September. The Lilac Bloomsday Association also sponsors a Bloomsday Training Program, which promotes health and fitness in young children and encourages participation in the race. Unfortunately, due to school closures related to COVID-19, this program was unable to launch.

Program Area 2: The Lilac Bloomsday Run is an annual event that typically takes place in May and is one of the world's largest running events with over 27,000 finishers and around 200 volunteers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race was held virtually in September of the following fiscal year. The Lilac Bloomsday Association also sponsors a Bloomsday Training Program for over 6,000 students in local and regional elementary schools, which encourages health and fitness in young children, but was unable to launch due to school closures related to COVID-19.

Organization Staffing

Lilac Bloomsday Association is run by Mark Starr, who is the President. The organization has 4 employees, none of whom are paid more than $100k per year (according to the organization's most recent 990 tax filing). Supporting the paid staff are more than 200 volunteers.

Board Governance

The Lilac Bloomsday Association is well-governed, with 13 voting members and 13 independent members. This ensures that the organization is making decisions in the best interest of the organization and not for personal gain. Furthermore, the organization has taken steps to prevent potential conflicts of interest by having a conflict of interest policy and requiring disclosure of conflicts. Additionally, the organization has a written whistleblower policy and document retention policy, which are both important for good governance. Board meetings are documented, helping to ensure that decisions are transparent and accountable. The organization also substantiates and reviews officer's salaries, which is important to ensure that resources are managed responsibly. While the organization does not provide copies of the 990 to the board prior to filing, they do have a document retention policy in place. All of these measures demonstrate that the Lilac Bloomsday Association is well-governed.

Organization Growth

The Lilac Bloomsday Association has experienced mixed results over the past five years. Contributions and grants received have increased, while program service revenue, other revenue, and total revenue have decreased. Employee salaries have gone up, and total expenses have gone down. Total employees have increased, while total volunteers have decreased.